In the 2016-2017 year, I have continued to work on evaluating our print government documents collection, an ongoing project which I’ve been working on since becoming the Government Information Librarian in 2013; I am collaborating with the Library of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Google, and other MSU library staff on a project to send LOM government documents to Google for digitization (a project which began in 2015); and I have continued to work to promote the use of government information, by working locally and by conducting two nationally promoted webinars.

In 2015-2016, I began a project reviewing the print government documents collection housed in Remote Storage. This project moved past the evaluation stage early in the 2016-2017 year and became an active effort to rehome the print collection. I spent many long, dusty days at the old Remote Storage facility in the spring and summer of 2016, both on my own and with the assistance of some library staff and student employees sorting through the government documents material, pulling, boxing, and sending volumes to the University of Minnesota (our regional depository library) that they did not own. Items that were already owned by our regional library, had not been circulated in the past five years, and did not meet other criteria were withdrawn from the shelves, boxed up, and sent to Surplus. Any remaining items in the government documents collection were transferred to 3 West of the Main Library where these items are undergoing further review and are either being sent to the University of Minnesota, integrated into our government documents print collection (which is also currently being shifted to accommodate these materials while also eliminating empty shelves from the Google government documents destructive scanning project), or being withdrawn. In addition to U.S. government documents, uncataloged international and Canadian documents have also been brought over to temporarily reside on 3 West while I review them to find permanent locations. Sorting through all the government documents material from Remote has been a very large project and is still ongoing, due to the difficult nature of many of these items (uncataloged, non-unique titles, changing call numbers, etc.) but I am actively working towards completing this project.

Promotion of our subject areas is a critical component of our job as librarians and finding topics of interest to the community is one of the best ways to show the relevance and importance of subject areas. One of the best ways to highlight our unique collection at the library is to create exhibits for our in-person visitors to enjoy. Since 2016 marked the 100^thanniversary for the creation of the National Park Service, I installed on exhibit on 3 West to highlight not only this historic event and its significance, but also our print collection, with an emphasis on government documents. I received many positive comments regarding this exhibit, especially from faculty and students in the Forestry department.

Teaching library instruction is of course another fantastic method to employ to reach the MSU community directly and show them the types of resources we have. I conducted two Reference meeting sessions on how to use the print and electronic Census and commonly encountered questions and how to answer them. I also taught the following instruction sessions:

• Fall 2016:
  • James Madison College (MC) 498: Civic Engagement and Community Development in Lansing. Provided instruction on how to locate demographic, social, and economic data and information about Lansing and surrounding communities.
  • History 201: Food, Farming, and Nutrition in the USA. Along with Suzi Teghtmeyer. Showed how to find government information related to this course’s topic, including how to use the Agricultural Census, and finding general demographic and economic information from Social Explorer and Proquest Statistical Abstract.

• Spring 2017:
  • Packaging 485: Packaging Development. Along with Anita Ezzo and Breezy Silver. Explained the differences between laws and regulations and showed the class how to find applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations regarding their assigned packaging project.
  • Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRA) 331: Writing in the Public Interest. Discussed legislative histories and their construction. Showed how to use Proquest Legislative Insights and Proquest Congressional to find legislation and other documents to assist students in writing their public policy research papers.
  • James Madison College (JMC) Social Relations and Public Policy Faculty. A JMC faculty member requested that I show resources related to statistics and government information for herself and other JMC faculty. Resources shown included American Fact Finder, Social Explorer, voxgov, Proquest Congressional, and Policy Map.

One of the great but rather underutilized aspects of federal government documents is that they are in the public domain, which means they are prime research material for projects such as text mining. To help show a new way of using government documents, I conducted a webinar for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) Academy in April 26, 2016 to show some free text mining tools, how to use them, where to find free government texts to mine, and explained the research potential. This webinar had 104 live attendees and the recording has been viewed an additional 346 times.

In July, I also conducted a webinar for the North Carolina Library Association’s Help! I’m an Accidental Government Information Librarian Series. This webinar explored what APIs are, how to find freely available APIs through Data.gov, and explained some possible ways that certain APIs can be used in different projects. The FDLP Academy and the NCLA Help! Series are the two most popular venues for continuing education in the realm of government information librarianship and I was very excited to be given the opportunity to present in these respected webinar training series. 

To further my own knowledge, I’ve continued to attend webinars on topics related to government information as much as possible (please see Part B for a complete list of webinars attended). I also attended the Federal Depository Library Conference virtually in April 2016 and in person in October 2016, ALA Annual 2016 in Orlando and ALA Midwinter 2017 in Atlanta, and the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) of Michigan spring conference in May 2016, which I also planned in my role as Program Chair. I am also working on completing the FDLP’s Coordinator Certificate program (February 1 – April 4, 2017; more information is found in Part B). In May 2016, I completed the ALCTS web course Fundamentals of Cataloging (additional information can be found in Part B) to give myself a better foundation in my secondary assignment of cataloging.

I’m still rather new at cataloging and the scope of the physical government documents collection move and evaluation has been so vast that there have been times when the priorities of my primary assignment have outweighed my secondary. To date I have cataloged 108 pieces (81 copy cataloged, 8 original, and 19 video games). I am working directly with Jonah Magar to ensure that the needs of our video game users are met and that higher priority games are cataloged and made available on a steady basis.

In addition to my primary and secondary assignments, I also have a tertiary in Reference and provide approximately 4-6 hours of Reference services (chat, email, and in-person) a week.

I continue to serve as Member Services Director for the New Members Round Table (NMRT) of ALA (term is 2015-2018). This executive board position supervises four NMRT committees in addition to attending monthly virtual meetings as well as in-person meetings at ALA Annual and Midwinter. I also serve on the ALA GODORT Membership Committee and GODORT Nominations Committee (please see Part C for more information). Additionally, I am Program Chair for GODORT Michigan, which has included planning the Spring 2016 conference and the Spring 2017 conference. I am also the President of GODORT Michigan and am working with the executive board to create a more sustainable organization.

SELF EVALUATION of SCHOLARLY AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES:

Presentations

• “Hitting Pay Dirt Text Mining Government Sources.” Webinar presented for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) Academy. April 26, 2016.
  • This webinar provided an introduction to text mining Government publications. Viewers learned what text mining is and its research value, as well as how to locate Government textual data. Viewers also became familiar with several freely available text-mining tools. There were 104 live attendees to this webinar and 346 recording views (as of 3/13/17).
• “The Census (Collection) is Coming (to the First Floor)!!” MSU Library Reference Training. June 2, 2016.
  • Provided an overview of the Census resources available at the Library, both electronic and print. The print collection was highlighted since it was moving to 1 East and there may be more patrons seeking assistance with this collection showing up at the Reference Desk for assistance. In addition to showing how to use these books, the types of questions they may receive that would require use of print over electronic resources was explained, as well as caveats to using this collection.
• “The APIs of Data.gov.” Webinar presented to the North Carolina Library Association’s Help! I’m an Accidental Government Information Librarian Series. July 26, 2016.
  • This webinar explained APIs and their purpose, showed viewers how to navigate Data.gov and understand the different data types offered, and demonstrated how one can leverage APIs in their projects.
• “APIs and You: An Introduction to APIs and Their Role in the Library.” Presented with Devin Higgins. MSU Library Brown Bag. August 10, 2016.
  • The API is a an important component of the information ecosystem of the library, enabling projects related to linked data, text and data mining, citation analysis, and providing for real-time updates to resources. This presentation first answered the question, “What is an API?” and then focused specifically on internet-based, library-oriented APIs and their practical application to our work here at MSUL.
• “Finding Census Data Online.” Presented with Kathleen Weessies. MSU Library Reference Training. September 15, 2016.
  • Presented a variety of common reference questions related to finding Census data and showed how to answer these questions using resources such as American Fact Finder and Social Explorer.

Exhibit

• “Acadia to Zion: 100 Years of the National Park Service.” May – September 2016. This exhibit explored the history and importance of the National Park Service by highlighting our vast collection of resources in both Main and Government Documents on this subject.

Continuing Education and Professional Development

• April 11 – May 20, 2016: ALCTS Fundamentals of Cataloging web course.
  • Taught the basics of cataloging with RDA and had weekly required online chat sessions as well as weekly assignments, readings, and tests.
• May 4, 2016: “Top Secret: Declassified Documents and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests.” Webinar presented by the FDLP Academy.
• June 2, 2016: Cite It with Style! How to Cite Government Information Resources like a Pro.” Webinar presented by the FDLP Academy.
• July 19, 2016: “Selected Advanced Features of USA Trade Online and DataWeb.” Webinar presented by the FDLP Academy.
• September 19, 2016: “The National Science Foundation: Statistical data and grant-seeker resources.” Webinar presented by the North Carolina Library Association’s Help! I’m an Accidental Government Information Librarian Series.
• September 27, 2016: “CDC American Indian and Alaska Native Health Data Online.” Webinar presented by the FDLP Academy.
• October 31, 2016: “Making Elections Great Again: Finding the Right Data.” Webinar presented by the North Carolina Library Association’s Help! I’m an Accidental Government Information Librarian Series.
• November 1, 2016: “More Government Information Veins from the Hathitrust Catalog.” Webinar presented by the FDLP Academy.
• November 14, 2016: “International Government Survey Data: How to Find and Use It.” Webinar presented by the North Carolina Library Association’s Help! I’m an Accidental Government Information Librarian Series.
• November 30, 2016: “Using the BEA Interactive Data Tool to get Local Data.” Webinar presented by the FDLP Academy.
• December 13, 2016: “Introducing the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Databases, Tables, & Calculators Search Tool.” Webinar presented by the FDLP Academy.
• December 14, 2016: “Mapping Census Data: Unleash your Sociodemographic Knowledge through the Power of GIS.” Webinar presented by the FDLP Academy.
• January 10, 2017: “Understanding the Census of Government: 2nd Largest Industry in the US.” Webinar presented by the FDLP Academy.
• February 1 – March 28, 2017: Federal Depository Library Coordinator Certificate Program.
  • The purpose of this course is to educate FDLP coordinators on managing depository collections in compliance with the Legal Requirements & Program Regulations of the Federal Depository Library Program. This course consists of mandatory 2-hour live webinars and chat, as well as weekly readings, assignments, and tests.
• February 16, 2017: “Enriching the Experience for Government Documents Student Workers.” Webinar presented by the FDLP Academy.
• February 27, 2017: “Finding geological materials through the U.S. Geological Survey.” Webinar presented by the North Carolina Library Association’s Help! I’m an Accidental Government Information Librarian Series.

SELF EVALUATION of SERVICE AND/OR PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

American Library Association (ALA)

• Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) Membership Committee, member, 2016-2017
  • Works to encourage individuals to join GODORT and help with GODORT member retention.
  • Plans the GODORT Happy Hours for Midwinter and Annual.
  • Plans a GODORT orientation session for Annual to introduce members to GODORT activities and encourage involvement in the round table.
  • Working on establishing new goals and expectations for this committee due to GODORT reorganization. This includes setting up monthly meetings with other committee members and taking meeting minutes.
• GODORT Nominations Committee, member, 2016-2017
  • Elected position.
  • Communicates with GODORT members to encourage members to nominate themselves and others for the ballot for Depository Library Council and for positions within GODORT.
  • Reviews nominated candidates to ensure they are eligible for positions and to review their submitted documentation for completeness.
• Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) Working Group on Genre Headings for Video Games, member.
  • Analyze a list of proposed video game genres, including conducting additional research regarding video games and discussion to create a comprehensive list to send to the Library of Congress for consideration. This working group is currently awaiting a response from LOC before moving on to next steps.
• New Members Round Table (NMRT) Member Services Director, 2016-2017
  • Elected, executive board position.
  • Attends monthly virtual executive board meetings, as well as in-person meetings at Annual and Midwinter.
  • Provides support and guidance while also supervising the activities of four NMRT committees: Endnotes (peer reviewed journal), Communications (blog), Resume Review Service (provides virtual resume reviews and in-person reviews at ALA Annual and Midwinter), and Mentoring (provides virtual mentoring services and a social event at ALA Annual).
• Served as an on-site Resume Review Service Booth Greeter at ALA Annual 2016 and ALA Midwinter 2017 for the NMRT Resume Review Service.
• Presented a webinar for San Jose State University Library School on the benefits of ALA and NMRT membership, tips for attending ALA conferences, and the benefits of conference attendance. November 2, 2016.
• President of GODORT Michigan, 2016-2017.
  • Working on implementing a new website for the organization.
  • Along with the input of the rest of the executive board, is working on creating a more inclusive and sustainable model for GODORT Michigan, which has included limiting in-person conferences to once a year due to low attendance and feedback from membership. Networks at conferences with government information librarians from Michigan who may or may not be members in GODORT Michigan and encourages their participation in the organization.
• Program Chair for GODORT Michigan, 2016-2017
  • Successfully planned and organized the Spring 2016 conference at the University of Michigan.
  • In the process of planning the Spring 2017 conference which will take place at the Hackley Public Library in Muskegon in May. This includes coordinating with the new regional librarian at the University of Minnesota and a staff member from the Government Publishing Office to ensure that they can attend and discuss relevant issues.
  • Solicits presenters to discuss topics of interest to government information librarians in Michigan and plans the conference agenda.

• Big Ten Academic Alliance, Heads of Government Publications
  • Participates in in-person and virtual meetings to discuss issues related to government documents at Big Ten Academic Alliance institutions.

• Reference Review
  • Member of the Peer-Review Board for this journal, which is published by Emerald, October 2014-October 2016
  • Provides peer review of submitted articles.

Self Evaluations