Monday, November 28, 2016

Rewired: Research-Writing Partnerships within the Frameworks

Rewired: Research-Writing Partnerships Within the Framework, edited by Randall McClure. Association of College and Research Libraries, 2016. 978-083898904-3.

Publisher's Description
Colleges and universities tend to be siloed spaces where we work within our own departments, divisions, and units and don’t always recognize the connections we have with the work of our colleagues down the hall. Rewired: Research-Writing Partnerships within the Frameworks highlights the clear connections between two important disciplinary documents—the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing (CWPA, NCTE, and NWP, 2011) and the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (ACRL, 2016)—and examines partnerships between librarians and their colleagues who are teaching information literacy in new and impactful ways.

Researching and writing are inseparable and interdependent processes, even in activities without a required research/source use component. From disciplines and areas one would expect—English departments, first-year writing programs, and university writing centers—to those perhaps more unexpected, such as the health sciences, courses in music, and summer bridge programs, Rewired features partnerships within a range of institutional types that have built upon the connections between these Frameworks in ways that construct meaningful relationships for students as they develop expertise in research-writing.

The chapters in Section 1, Developing a Shared Understanding, show off the ways we can learn from each other’s expertise when we engage in conversation and break down the disciplinary silos that tend to separate us. The range of curricular reforms at institutions across the country showcased in Section 2, Partnering Research & Writing, offer multiple options for how partnerships between faculty members invested in writing in the disciplines and their librarian colleagues might develop in different kinds of institutional contexts. And finally, Section 3, Assessing Writing & Information Literacy, challenges us to think about how we assess students’ research-writing development and the impact of the partnerships we develop.

College and research librarians have of course been working alongside professors invested in writing in the disciplines for decades. What is new about these partnerships is how faculty members and librarians are re-imagining their work, rewiring it if you will, for students in a world where writing is both global and largely digital.

More Information
See the publisher's website for Table of Contents and information about the editor.  

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Collaborating for Impact: Special Collections and Liaison Librarian Partnerships

Collaborating for Impact: Special Collections and Liaison Librarian Partnerships, edited by Kristen Totleben and Lori Birrell. Association of College and Research Libraries, 2016. 978-083898883-1.

Publisher's Description
Special collections and liaison librarian partnerships can have a tremendous impact on the work within the library and the university community. Designed to guide the reader through three different themes—collection stewardship; projects, research, and exhibitions; and instruction—Collaborating for Impact: Special Collections and Liaison Librarian Partnerships offers inspiration and case studies detailing how these departments can impact research, teaching, and learning by working collaboratively. With individual expertise and skillsets, librarians and staff are together better equipped to provide researchers with a holistic, well-rounded perspective on the research process and scholarship.

Collaborating for Impact opens with an exploration of current collaboration between liaison and special collections librarians, including a thorough literature review. A proposed framework for acquiring general and special collections that document the history of the academy and remain responsive to campus curricular needs, and a tutorial on object-based pedagogy that can underpin such arrangements, follow. And finally, there are thirteen case studies that provide concrete examples of how to move the needle towards sustainable efforts and away from one-off examples.

If special collections are destined to become the mainstay of the library, many more paths to deeper collaboration can and should be developed. Special collections and liaison librarian partnerships offer a good foundation from which teamwork can take root across administrative, physical, and cultural divides. This book addresses a gap in both special collections and liaison librarian literature, showing how librarians work together across library departments.

More Information
See the publisher's website for Table of Contents and information about the editors. 

Recommended Reference Books for Small and Medium-Sized Libraries and Media Centers


Recommended Reference Books for Small and Medium-Sized Libraries and Media Centers, 2016 Edition, Volume 36, edited by Juneal M. Chenoweth. Libraries Unlimited, 2016. 978-1-4408-4702-8.

Publisher's Description
An essential resource for collection development specialists in small and medium-sized libraries, this guide identifies the highest quality, most affordable, and most appropriate new reference materials in any field. Culling the top reviews from the latest edition of American Reference Books Annual (ARBA), all of the titles in Recommended Reference Books for Small and Medium-Sized Libraries and Media Centers are well reviewed and have price points that will appeal to libraries with tight budgets. This invaluable guidebook gives collection development librarians working in small to medium-sized libraries the best information for choosing new titles for their libraries from the thousands of new reference products (both print and online) that became available in 2015.

As with previous editions, readers are assured fair and accurate assessments because all of the reviews are written by experts in the library field and present both positive and negative aspects of the product. Each critical review is coded to clearly indicate which type of library the publication is appropriate for—C for college, P for public, and/or S for school.

Features:
  • Comprises the top 550 reviews—all written by subject experts working in the library profession—selected from ARBA, a comprehensive and well-respected reviewing source for reference materials 
  • Retains any critical comments made by the reviewer about a recommended title to aid readers in their selection process 
  • Recommends titles not only on the basis of their positive reviews but also their affordability
See the publisher's website for author information.

Senior High Core Collection

Corsaro, Julie, et al., editors. Senior High Core Collection. 20th ed., Grey House Publishing, 2016. ISBN: 978-1-68217-069-4

Note: The State Library also has Middle and Junior High Core Collection, Children’s Core Collection, and from a different publisher, A to Zoo, and many more collection development resources.

Publisher's Description
H.W. Wilson's Senior High Core Collection (20th Edition) identifies the best, most highly recommended material available for high school libraries and young adult collections. It is a helpful guide to over 8,500 recommended fiction and nonfiction titles for adolescents and young adults.
Librarians have relied on the expert recommendations in Senior High Core Collection for years for collection development guidance. It is an ideal tool for Purchasing & Title Selection, Readers’ Advisory, Curriculum Support, Collection Development & Maintenance and Professional Development.

Created by Librarians, for Librarians

Titles are selected by an editorial team of librarians as well as a librarian advisory group—all of them experts in library services to adolescents and young adults.

Comprehensive Topical Coverage

Senior High Core Collection provides easy access to recommended titles in all subject areas of interest to adolescents and young adults. In this update, particular attention was paid to expanding coverage in computers, math and other STEM areas. In addition, librarians will find a wide array of recommended titles covering cultural diversity, careers, the arts, new technologies and social issues.

Easy-to-use Arrangement
  • Nonfiction books, provides immediate access to over 6,000 nonfiction titles, arranged by Dewey Decimal Classification.
  • Fiction, arranged by author, recommends nearly 2,500 of the best fiction for young adult and adolescent readers. This volume now includes graphic novels too.
  • Story Collections, arranged by author, highlights over 100 recommended story collections for students in grades nine through twelve.
Bibliographic & Cataloging Data, Descriptions & Reviews

Individual entries provide a wealth of much-needed information at a glance.
  • Complete Bibliographic & Cataloging Data
  • Price, ISBN and Publisher Data make purchasing titles quick and easy
  • Suggested Subject headings, Grade Level & Dewey Classification
  • Content Descriptions & Quotations from Select Reviews—are incredibly useful when evaluating books for selection and for readers’ advisory.
  • Additional notes describe sequels and companion volumes, editions available, awards, and publication history.
  • 2,300 “Most Highly Recommended” titles are easily identified with a starred listing.
More Professional Development Materials

This edition also includes works for the librarian, including resources for the evaluation of materials, library management and programming and the use of the Internet and instruction.

In-depth Indexing

An in-depth Author, Title, and Subject Index provides users with thousands of ways to navigate this rich collection of recommended titles. Whether searching by author, title or by one of the hundreds of subject areas found in the index, librarians can easily locate titles that will round out their collection.

Senior High Core Collection is a must-have tool for librarians and media specialists. Whether for title selection, collection maintenance or readers’ advisory support, this updated edition takes the guesswork out of collection development, so librarians can be assured that they are selecting the best materials for their collection, and making the most out of their book budget.

Table of Contents


Monday, November 21, 2016

Creating Inclusive Library Environments


Kowalsky, M., & Woodruff, J. (2017). Creating Inclusive Library Environments: A Planning Guide for Serving Patrons with Disabilities. Chicago, IL: ALA Editions.

Librarians are continually faced with challenges of how to best meet the needs of patrons with disabilities, whether those patrons have physical or intellectual disabilities, differing learning styles, or even temporary problems which impact their access and may change over time. And because planning considerations range from policies and organizational culture to facilities, technologies, and beyond, librarians need a guide that covers everything: areas that can be addressed quickly and easily as well as those that require long-term strategies. That guide is here. Packed with research-based best practices and handy checklists applicable to all types of libraries, this comprehensive resource

  • defines what makes environments barrier-free, whether physical or virtual, and talks about how libraries can develop a user-centered culture;
  • includes techniques for writing policies and procedures that are clear, realistic, and flexible;
  • provides strategies for setting up facilities, training staff, and maintaining daily operations;
  • discusses collaboration and outreach through community partnerships, including ways to connect patrons with nonprofits and disability organizations;
  • offers programming and workshop ideas such as open houses, tutorials, and tours of the library;
  • delves into assistive technology, website design, making vendor-purchased products accessible, and other information technology issues; and
  • shares ideas for library assessment, realigning strategies, and staying current.
This planning guide will enable libraries to create and maintain a truly inclusive environment for all patrons.

(book description)

Friday, November 18, 2016

The Subject Liaison’s Survival Guide to Technical Services


Schmidt, Krista and Tim Carstens. Subject Liaison’s Survival Guide to Technical Services. ALA Editions, 2017. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1502-8

Description
As it addresses acquisitions, processing, cataloging, and deselection, this book speaks directly to the needs and responsibilities of subject liaisons. It clears away extra information and jargon to bring liaisons up to speed on how technical services staff get things done.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1    Collection Development
Structure
Communication
Policy
Data and Information

Chapter 2    Budgets and Budgeting
Understanding Your Institution’s and Library’s Financial Picture
  • Sources of Funds
  • Decision Making
Allocating Funds within the Library
Communication and Timing

Chapter 3    Submitting Orders

Organizational Structure
Information and Processes
Timing Is Everything

Chapter 4    Acquisitions Ordering
Organizational Structure (Again)
Record Keeping and Communication
Ordering Processes
Timing Is Everything (Again)

Chapter 5    Receiving and Processing
Receiving and Processing Physical Resources
  • Books, Media, and Other Non-serial Items
  • Serials
  • Collection Designation
Receiving and Processing Electronic Materials
  • E-books
  • Databases and E-journals

Chapter 6    Cataloging
Copy and Original Cataloging
Enhancing Cataloging Records
  • Individual Record Editing
  • Batch Editing
  • Workflow Edits
Enhancing the Catalog Itself

Chapter 7    Collection Maintenance
Weeding
  • Initiation and Planning
  • Decision Making
  • Withdrawal Processes
Location Changes
Format Updates