The 2011-2012 year was a short one for me because my employment as a librarian began on December 1, 2011. The past three and a half months have been a period full of training, expanding my knowledge, and growing as a professional librarian. While I have only held a librarian position for a brief time, I feel as though I am adjusting well to my new position and its responsibilities. The training that I have received has helped me to better understand my job and the role that I play at the MSU Libraries.
Prior to my employment as a librarian, I worked at the MSU Libraries as support staff, first in InterLibrary Services (September 2008 – April 2010) and most recently in Distance Learning Services (April 2010 – December 2012). Through these positions, I was able to gain a better understanding of the MSU Libraries and the many services we offer, as well as the University as a whole, which has greatly helped me as a librarian.
My experience in InterLibrary Services has significantly benefited me as a librarian, because I am able to draw upon the knowledge that I gained in the position to assist patrons during reference interactions. While providing reference services, I am able to actively promote the many services that InterLibrary Services offers, while also assisting patrons with using these services. I feel as though I can more fully answer patrons questions about these services and explain the differences between MeLCat, Uborrow, and ILLiad, for example, thanks to the time that I spent working in that department.
Distance Learning Services provided me with experience answering ready reference-type questions, such as “is there a fax machine in the library that students can use?” By already knowing the answer (or knowing where to look), this allowed my reference training to progress more quickly and allowed the training to focus more on how to handle the trickier reference questions. Distance Learning Services also helped me hone my customer service skills, thus enabling me to provide better quality assistance to our patrons during reference interactions. I’ve dealt with a wide variety of callers, from faculty to students, to individuals with no University affiliation. By drawing on my past experiences, it is easier for me to interact with the different types of patrons during reference interactions.
My primary responsibility is that of Assistant Copyright Librarian. While I do have a basic legal background because of my paralegal certificate (December 2011), copyright law can be quite convoluted and failure to follow the law is a huge liability to the University. I have been working closely with the Copyright Librarian to expand my understanding of copyright laws and how they relate to a university setting. We review copyright questions that have been received, and discuss how to analyze the material in question (images, articles, videos, etc.) to determine whether or not copyright permission would be needed, if a case for fair use can be made, or if the use is covered under the TEACH Act. We discuss all aspects of the use of the material and analyze the potential risk to the University in order to come up with a recommendation. By going over actual questions, I am receiving practical training on the types of questions received and how to handle questions in real life.
Practical application of copyright law is just part of the equation; it is crucial to also understand copyright in theory so that this knowledge can be applied to real life situations. To accomplish this, I have attended webinars about copyright. To enhance my comprehension of the fair use doctrine, I have attended two webinars, “ARL Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries” and “Copyright and Faculty Rights: Faculty use of Copyright.” Both of these webinars helped elucidate when and how the fair use doctrine can be applied, what is not covered under fair use, and what is covered by the TEACH Act.
I also actively seek out written material to enhance my knowledge of copyright. By reading books and articles, I am able to learn about issues pertaining to copyright and uncover new sources that I can use for future reference. I am also keeping abreast of the latest news regarding copyright. The copyright landscape is continuously evolving as new legislation is introduced, cases are settled, and new copyright infringement suits are filed.
Library websites are an invaluable tool to both our patrons and library staff, and because of this, I have updated (with the assistance of Web Services) the Commonly Asked Questions About Copyright site (http://www.lib.msu.edu/research/copyrightfaq.jsp) and the Distance Learning Services site (http://www2.lib.msu.edu/about/dls/division-dls.jsp). This entailed checking links to ensure that they still work and replacing broken URLs with the new URLs; updating outdated information; and adding new information to these websites. Maintaining accurate and updated websites is an important, ongoing process that I intend to continue in the future.
Since my secondary assignment is in Reference, I have also spent a lot of my time in reference training. I have met with many of the subject specialists in order to learn about their subject areas and what resources to utilize to assist patrons. I have found these meetings incredibly helpful in learning about the different resources that we have available. This has allowed me to better promote the library’s wonderful resources to our users when I am providing reference services. I have had numerous shifts providing chat reference, as well as shifts at the Reference Desk in which I also monitored the text queue. The training that I have received and the experience that I have gained thus far has made me feel comfortable and confident in my ability to provide quality reference services to our patrons.
I’m very interested in digital initiatives and data management, and as such, I have become a part of two data-related Library groups: the Data Interest Group (DIG) and the Research Data Management Guidance (RDMG) team. The Data Interest Group is a discussion group comprised of MSU librarians and a member from University Archives. We discuss issues related to research data. The Research Data Management Guidance team works to assist researchers with developing data management plans that are now a requirement in certain grant applications. In March, RDMG met with members of the campus community who support research data in some way, with the ultimate goal of forming a referral and advocacy network. This network would help link users with appropriate data support service providers, as well as linking provider to provider for possible collaboration and knowledge transfer.
I have also begun planning a project in the Digital Multimedia Center to inventory and organize a collection of master copies of material that are currently saved on physical storage media, such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and Zip disks. I will provide descriptive information about these materials and compare the physical collection with what is housed in the DarkArchives to see if I can locate duplicated materials. Once this process is complete, I will work with the DMC and Digital Curation Librarian to determine appropriate long-term storage solutions for this collection.
Since May 2011, I have been a mentee in the M.E.N.T.O.R.S program and I have been mentoring under Portia Vescio and Cynthia Ghering at University Archives. Since becoming a librarian, I have worked on reference questions that have been received at Archives as a way of understanding the best sources to use for questions about the University and also how to use these sources. This has made me familiar with the collections at Archives and I can use this knowledge while providing reference assistance. I also created a research guide for the Geology Department. This guide can be used by those who are researching the history of the Geology Department as a tool to help point them to relevant collections.
SELF EVALUATION of SCHOLARLY AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES:
Articles in Progress:
“Living the Librarian Life.” Article for Spring 2012 Insights newsletter.
Guides:
Geology Department Research Guide for Archives. December 9, 2011.
Continuing Education:
“Change Management…What You Need to Know.” Webinar sponsored by the Society of American Archivists. MSU Libraries, December 8.
Staff Development Poster Session. MSU Libraries. December 13.
“I’m Your Leader: The Fundamentals of Effective Leadership.” Webinar sponsored by ALCTS LITA. MSU Libraries. January 9.
“Leadership by Disruption.” Webinar sponsored by ALCTS LITA. MSU Libraries, January 10.
“Leadership: What it Means for the Library Middle Managers.” Webinar sponsored by ALCTS LITA. MSU Libraries, January 11.
“Leadership: From Proto-Star to Supernova.” Webinar sponsored by ALCTS LITA. MSU Libraries, January 12.
“Leading Change.” Webinar sponsored by ALCTS LITA. MSU Libraries, January 13.
“ARL Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries.” MSU Libraries, January 26.
“Be a Tourist – Turfgrass Information Center.” MSU Libraries, February 8.
“Information Architecture.” Webinar sponsored by the Society of American Archivists. MSU Libraries, February 9.
Hailey Mooney. “Zotero: Citation Management 2.0.” MSU Libraries, February 14.
Susan Kendall. “Endnote X4.” MSU Libraries, February 20.
“Be a Tourist – Course Materials Program.” MSU Libraries, February 23.
“Copyright and Faculty Rights: Faculty Use of Copyright .” Webcast. MSU Libraries, March 2.
“Copyright and Faculty Rights: Faculty Ownership of Copyright.” Webcast. MSU Libraries, March 9.
SELF EVALUATION of SERVICE AND/OR PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
MSU Libraries and Campus-Wide:
Data Interest Group (DIG)
December 2011 – Present
Research Data Management Guidance (RDMG) team
February 2012 – Present
Library Staff Association (LSA)
Treasurer, 2012-2014
Professional Associations:
Michigan Library Association (MLA)
Member
American Library Association (ALA)
Attended ALA Midwinter, January 19-24, 2012 in Dallas, TX
Became a member of the New Members Round Table (NMRT)
Submitted NMRT committee volunteer form in February 2012
Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL)
December 2011 – Present
Center for Intellectual Property
February 2012 – Present