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The Poster Sessions of Super Conference
Thursday, January 31, 2008 12:15 pm - 1:00 pm
THEME: SCHOOLS AND KIDS
- Schools and Kids
K.I.D.S.@ Home
Michele McKenzie, Clearview Public Library in partnership with Huronia West OPP, Simcoe Muskoka
District Health Unit and the Township of Clearview Fire Department.
K.I.D.S.@ Home is a program developed to help kids (10 to 14 years of age) learn the necessary
skills to help them stay safe while at home without adult supervision. The overall message of this
three hour seminar is that our kids' safety is of the utmost importance at all times and to make
them aware of local resources and services available to help them. All four presenters promote the
ISAVEKIDS philosophy in the K.I.D.S.@ Home program -
Innovative...Seminar to...Act to prevent...Violence...and...Educate...Key...Ideas...To...Develop...Safety at home. Close-to-home, reliable
and current information is presented by all partner representatives to prepare kids to conduct
themselves safely and with confidence when adult supervision is not available. This project has been
made possible by grants from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the
General & Marine Hospital Foun-dation's Community Education Program.
- Schools and Kids
Virtual Library: 7 Step Research Model
Jan Reynolds, Kate Shields, Linda Langdon, Near North District School Board.
The Near North District School Board has developed a 7 Step Research Model for our students. We
teach the students that there is a proper order to research which can improve their effectiveness
in gathering information, save them time, and prevents them from using inaccurate information. The
model is simple and each of our schools' Virtual Library Web pages has been created to follow the
same model. We have organized a combination of free and subscription Web sites to follow our
research model. The Research Model Order is:
Step #1: Reference [encyclopedias, dictionaries],
Step #2 Books,
Step #3 Current Sources [magazines, newspapers.],
Step #4 Pre-selected Curriculum Links,
Step #5 Government Sources,
Step #6 Atlases & Maps,
Step #7 Student-friendly Search engines.
A PowerPoint presentation, promotional materials etc. will be on display for delegates to view and
to ask us questions.
- Schools and Kids
Filling in the G.A.P.S. Halton's Research Model
Shelley Wigle, Shelley Gaylard, Mary Kebalo-Plata, Halton District School Board.
This new Halton Research Model, "Filling the G.A.P.S.", was developed to provide a simplified
approach and common language for students. This model follows the stages of research outlined in the
OSLA document "Information Studies". G.A.P.S. refers to the four stages in the model: Getting Ready,
Accessing Resources, Processing Information and Sharing Findings. This model can be used in the
library, in the classroom, and under ideal conditions, during collaborative efforts between both the
classroom teacher and the Teacher Librarian.
- Schools and Kids
The Parent Connection
Maria Harvey, Hunter's Glen Jr. Public School, Toronto District School Board.
Students, parents and the library came together to celebrate Science in this fun and hands-on
workshop that was held at Hunter's Glen P.S. A story-time and activities provided students with the
opportunity to explore science themes with their parents and to create memories of this exciting
evening together. Follow-up take-home science kits were presented that also introduced the school
library as a connection between the home and school. The kits included ten different hands-on
activities, as well as a story and/or non-fiction book to compliment our science theme. This truly
was a rewarding and exciting experience for students, parents and teachers alike. Let me show you
how to do the same at your school library!
- Schools and Kids
Jeux interactifs pour présenter des concepts de base en recherche documentaire
Monique Brûlé, Conseil des écoles catholiques de langue
française du Centre-Est.
Le projet de formation en recherche documentaire, présentement
en marche au sein du Conseil des écoles catholiques de langue
française du Centre-Est, a comme mandat de développer des outils
afin de présenter des concepts de base d'une bibliothèque scolaire
et de la recherche documentaire. Le premier outil qui a été
développé est une série de jeux interactifs qui s'adressent à des
jeunes de la 5e à la 8e année où sont présentés les concepts de
base suivants : l'aménagement d'une bibliothèque scolaire, le
système Dewey, les genres de documents (roman et documentaire),
les index de recherche (auteur, collection, mots-clés, etc) et
le concept de mots-clés dans un texte. Ce "poster session" permettra
aux participants de consulter ces jeux interactifs et d'explorer
le processus de réalisation de cet outil.
- Schools and Kids
From Sea to Sea to Sea – A National Celebration of School Libraries
Mary Louise Mills, Diana Gauthier, Canadian Association for School Libraries.
This poster session will provide a visual array of ways to showcase school libraries, as
demonstrated by school library staff across the country on NSLD – National School Library Day –
the fourth Monday in October each year. Sponsored by the Canadian Association for School Libraries,
National School Library Day has resulted in Canada's students celebrating their literacy
accomplishments. School libraries large and small across Canada have become united on that day in
their efforts to recognize their own potential and the wonderful things they are doing. This poster
session would allow the sharing of these ideas and events and inspire others to celebrate what's
happening in their own school libraries on National School Library Day.
- Schools and Kids
Your School Library – Critical to Increased Student Success
Jasmine Nafekh, Peel District School Board.
Increased student success is the goal of all schools and teachers. By analyzing EQAO results,
and determining key target areas, the school library can be instrumental in school success planning
to meet those "smart goals". This year, school results indicated that writing was a key focus
area. By using the Peel document on resources to support reading development, and aligning them
with resources from the First Steps Writing document and Strategies That Work, a direct and focused
targeting of books can meet school success goals. For example, one of the First Steps writing
text forms is Recount. Library resources that matched this text form were recoded and labeled by
text form and grade, and then presented to the appropriate classes. The teachers were shown other
resources to support that text form, which they could take back to the classes and extend the
reading/writing connection. The Poster Session will demonstrate these results to expose teachers
to an even wider range of children's literature and to show that one book could be used for a
multitude of purposes as well.
- Schools and Kids
Integrating Technology and Graphic Novels: Engaging boys and reading using Comic Life
Leslie Tumangday, Roselawn Public School, York Region District School Board.
The display will show a graphic novel unit designed by the teacher-librarian as a way of engaging
a reluctant group of readers, mostly boys, in graphic novels and technology. The teacher-librarian
included a variety of literacy strategies such as independent, shared and guided reading, reader's
theatre, as well as explicitly teaching the characteristics that the graphic novel uses to convey
meaning (word balloons, panels, sound effects, captions, etc.) Then, the students used their
knowledge to create their own comic strips using Comic Life, part of the i-Life suite of software
on the MacIntosh platform.
- Schools and Kids
Woof, Woof! – The bite behind a successful Novel approach
Julia Andreacchi, Andrew Vaughnley, Sir William Mulock Secondary School, York Region District School
Board.
The children's book, Teddy Gets Out!, serves as an example of how to go beyond the
boundaries of a novel using a variety of activities. The story of Joey and his dog, Teddy, is
an example of how the power of unconditional love can create the motivation to succeed against all
odds. Follow Teddy as he tries to find his way home — assisted and obstructed by the many
animals he meets en-route. This poster presentation will highlight a variety of interactive
activities that engage students in the construction of meaning through their own life experiences,
journal writing, engaging technology and fostering comprehension and understanding through a series
of research projects. Collaboration with the classroom teacher as well as information skills and
technology superimposed on the reading experience guides the development of student activities and
student learning. Join us for this adventure in learning.
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Thursday, January 31, 2008 1:15 pm - 2:00 pm
THEME: TECHNOLOGY AND CAREER
- Technology and Career
Networking Strategies for Career Advancement, Enhanced Collaboration and Support
Peggy A. Pritchard, University of Guelph.
"Networking is not about schmoozing our way to the top, but about establishing connections
with people with whom we share interests." (Drs. Patricia Rankin and Joyce McCarl Nielsen, from
Success Strategies for Women in Science: A Portable Mentor.) This poster, given by an
experience career counsellor, mentoring expert and professional librarian, presents the skills
required for effective networking and the practical aspects of actually "doing it." Topics include:
developing a 30-second introduction; projecting confidence through body language and a firm
handshake; identifying people with common interests/potential collaborators; beginning
conversations; strategic follow-up. This poster complements the formal sessions on career
development offered during the conference, and extends the social networking opportunities and
career centre activities available to participants. All conference delegates will benefit from
improving their networking skills.
- Technology and Career
Library Closure and Continued Collection Access: the AlphaPlus Experience
Mary Reynolds, Lisa Gayhart, AlphaPlus Library and OLS-North.
How can a special library for adult literacy research and practice be closed, while still keeping
the majority of resources accessible and in circulation? As a result of the 2006 federal funding
cuts to provincial literacy initiatives, the AlphaPlus Library was faced with this challenge in
2007.
• Discover how AlphaPlus successfully relocated almost 70% of its print, A-V, and software
resources, and how the methods and learning curves could be useful to libraries faced with future
relocations.
• Find out how partnerships with literacy organizations and public libraries are preserving and
circulating the collection, many servicing hard to reach Northern Ontario communities.
• Examine the process created for large-scale donations, such as those to the Canadian Book
Exchange Centre, National Adult Literacy Database, and Library and Archives Canada Canadiana
initiative.
• Find out how recipients are working towards providing continued access to the adult literacy
community across Canada.
Resources:
Poster Session PowerPoint
Poster Handout
- Technology and Career
Mentoring in Academic Libraries
Elizabeth Marshall, Faculty of Information & Media Studies, University of Western Ontario.
What are the benefits of being a mentor? Who are potential mentors and why would a new librarian
want a mentor? Mentoring in academic libraries takes place in a variety of ways, both formally and
informally. The Future of Human Resources in Canadian Libraries reports "2 in 5 current librarians
and 3 in 10 current paraprofessionals predicted to retire by 2014, the library community is
well-advised to begin examining their own institutional demographics..." Do these findings point to
an increased need for mentorship in academic libraries? Drop by this poster session to learn about
successful mentoring programs in academic libraries and what makes a program successful.
- Technology and Career
The OLA Web Site Poll Wants YOU!
Joanna Aegard, Thunder Bay Public Library; Donna Bourne-Tyson, Mount St. Vincent University;
Deborah Wills, Wilfrid Laurier University; Lisa Weaver, Toronto District School Board.
The OLA Web Site Ad Hoc Poll Committee (aka "The Poll Peeps") is made up of Librarians from across
the country. They take turns posting questions on the OLA Web site, to take the pulse of members
on a wide variety of library-related issues. The OLA Web site Poll takes the pulse of the
organization. The Poll Peeps want YOUR input! Visit their poster presentation to see the results
of past polls, submit your ideas for questions and learn how easy it is to get involved.
- Technology and Career
Wayfinding 2.0
David Mitchell, London Public Library.
Find out how the Google Maps programming interface can be used on your Web site to produce
interactive wayfinding maps of collections and services. Examples on display will include room
locations, bathrooms, wireless access coverage and collection locations as well as software used.
A demonstration will be provided on how to use the Google Maps programming interface to create
hyperlinkable, interactive wayfinding interfaces for your catalogue and other resources in your
library.
- Technology and Career
RDA and library cataloguing
Shuzhen Zhao, The Leddy Library, University of Windsor.
The poster explains the background to the development of Resource Description and Access, AACR2 and metadata. As a bibliographic services librarian, how to face the changing of the cataloguing rule, what do we need to prepare for using the RDA? The poster discusses the implications of RDA for library cataloguing.
- Technology and Career
Reinvent Your Library
Sally Wilson, Graham McCarthy, Ryerson University Library.
Re-invent Your Library Explore some of the innovative projects recently implemented by the Ryerson University Library to expand the Library's reach beyond the confines of its traditional website and physical building. By harnessing the potential of Web 2.0 and building on services popularized by other web sites, the Library has started to integrate its services with its users' preferred environments. The Library allows users to integrate its content and services with Facebook, Amazon, Google and Ryerson's Course Management System, and provides services that users have come to expect such as text-messaging and social bookmarking. Recent innovations have also enabled the Library to better track and analyze activities performed by library staff and to build upon trends revealed by the mining of data collected from the Reference Desk and Bibliographic Instruction sessions. Be inspired by these innovative strategies and raise the profile of your Library.
- Technology and Career
Active Learning, Role-Playing AND Information Literacy
M.J. D'Elia, ÊMcLaughlin Library, University of Guelph.
The University of Guelph Library recently agreed to deliver the second-year marketing course on
Information Management in the Bachelor of Commerce program. As part of this project the course was
redesigned to focus less on specific technology skills and more on management and decision-making.
The course was also reworked to incorporate active learning strategies and group role-playing
assignments. For example, students pretended to be major decision makers at a medium-sized
technology firm. Each week, their company was presented with an information management issue that
needed attention (e.g. selling customer data). Student response to these changes has been so
favourable that the library has agreed to continue teaching the course for the coming years. This
poster session will discuss the challenges and opportunities involved in redesigning an entire
course, profile specific scenarios and assignments, and offer suggestions for incorporating
role-playing into more traditional information literacy instruction settings.
- Technology and Career
Ontario 2007 Election Campaign: Political Party Web Site Archiving
Darinka Tomic, Sandra Craig, Legislative Library of Ontario.
The Legislative Library has successfully completed a pilot project to archive all the political
party and candidate Web sites for the October 2007 Ontario election campaign. The decision was made
to use Adobe Acrobat Standard to archive the sites after three Web site archiving software, Adobe
Acrobat Standard, HTTrack Website Copier and MetaProducts Offline Explorer Pro, were tested. The
week before Election Day a team of six staff archived the Web sites of the nine registered political
parties and over 500 candidates' Web sites. Adobe Acrobat was able to capture the content, such as
press releases, policy documents, platform information and candidates' profiles. A catalogue record
was created for each political party and includes links to the party sites and to an index page
containing the Web sites of corresponding party candidates. This poster session provides an
innovative yet feasible approach to Web site archiving.
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Friday, February 1, 2008 12:15 pm - 1:00 pm
THEME: PUBLIC LIBRARIES
- Public Libraries
Family Literacy Nights: A Successful Public Library / School LIBRARY Partnership
Helen Kelly, Dale Kent, Leslie Muir-head, Hamilton Public Library.
The Barton Branch of the Hamilton Public Library is located in an older, inner city neighbourhood. Over the years, the area has changed from a bustling newcomer destination to a transient community with crime and safety issues on the very steps of the library. By partnering with the local public school, staff at the Barton Branch hosted successful evening family literacy nights. The series of programs incorporated an author visit, book character in costume, Every Child Ready to Read pre-reading skills, and free books for children. At the October 2007 night, over 100 people flooded into the underused facility. Families were excited about reading and saw the library as a dynamic, safe place in their community. Samples of posters, the funding proposal, school-library partnership, program outline, and of course, smiling children will be included.
- Public Libraries
Introducing the APLL Institute
Anne Marie Madziak, Southern Ontario Library Service.
SOLS has spent much of the past year developing a leadership training program to meet the needs of public library staff with leadership aspirations. Using blended learning approaches, the program will take approximately two years to complete, with participating library staff undergoing independent course work in a number of areas, complemented by face-to-face classroom sessions. Aimed at individuals, with and without the MLIS degree, the program consists of 12 courses including: Strategic Financial Management, Succeeding in the Municipal Environment, Organizational Culture, Partnering and Collaborating, and Advocacy and Influence. Courses are being developed and presented by experts within the public library community and the not-for-profit sector.
- Public Libraries
What to Read Next
Chris Sheehy, Markham Public Libraries.
Have you found that there is never enough time to make book suggestions? Do customers run away when
you start to show them how to use Novelist to find good books to read? Do teens ignore you when
you walk through their section, and say "Just browsing" if you stop to ask them if they need
anything? Markham Public Library has decided to try something different – a form-based
Reader's Advisory (RA). This program reaches the adult and teen reading community through paper
and/or electronic formats. The RA form allows customers to answer questions that are aimed at
finding their likes, dislikes and overall reading preferences in the comfort of their own homes.
This type of RA provides library staff the time to consult all the wonderful RA tools available
on-line and in book form to make suggestions that will appeal to the customer's unique needs.
- Public Libraries
Super Reader Day
Karen DeLuca, Arnprior Public Library.
As part of our TD Summer Reading Club we have been offering reading incentives for the past 6 years. For logging 10 titles, children are invited to an end-of-summer party featuring a professional entertainer. For the achievement of logging 20 titles, children are honoured with a personalized name plate in a new acquisition of their choice. In 2007 we offered a further incentive — 40 books entitled participants to ride a fire truck from the library to a local park where the library organized firefighter games. This community based celebration included a Super Reader Day proclamation from the town council and participation from a neighbouring community's fire department (with which the library has a contracting agreement). The convoy of fire trucks brought out cheering crowds including the mayors, fire chiefs, family & friends of the participants as well as on-lookers through the downtown core.
- Public Libraries
Heroes and Headlines: From On-Site Storage to On-line Searching
Jess Posgate, Grey Highlands Public Library.
Interested in sharing your local history on-line? The Grey Highlands Digitisation Project is a result of the collaboration between local newspapers, archives, museums, and the community to bring Grey County's cultural heritage to a wider audience. Using the OurOntario toolbox, we have digitised the Flesherton Advance and Markdale Standard so that genealogists, students and history buffs can easily discover the people, news and events of Grey County. As well, the Agnes Macphail Digital Collection Web site is a new and unique portal into Macphail's relationship with the people and politics of Grey County, outside and during her life as the first woman elected to Parliament. This session will provide tips on: financial and technological requirements; collecting and transforming local artifacts for digital display; creating and managing records; navigating copyright; Web design and hosting options; and administering for long-term success.
- Public Libraries
Socks, Skateboards AND other "sexy" programs for teens
Lindsay Shaw, Alicia Subnaik Kilgour, Collingwood Public Library.
The Collingwood Public Library created a series of free workshops aimed at high school aged youth using arts and culture as the vehicle to "hook" teens and get them into the library. All of the advertising and marketing had a "pop culture" appeal and was placed in the local high schools, newspapers and various (teen frequented) locations throughout the community. Free refreshments and snacks were provided at the workshops. The SKATEBOARD ART "Paint a skateboard inspired by graffiti art, and a quote from your favourite book." Workshop and THE AMAZING SOCK MONKEY! "It's a sock! It's a monkey! It's a great gift!" Workshop provided all the tools for each teen to create their own unique skateboard or sock monkey to take home. The Poster Session will feature these and other innovative program ideas aimed at teenagers. They welcome your suggestions and input for further developments.
- Public Libraries
It Takes a Village to Engage Your Library
Carolyn Doyle, Sarah Marienfeldt, London Public Library.
The Landon Branch of the London Public Library system is located in the heart of Wortley Village, a unique neighbourhood community within the City of London. By recognizing and cultivating its rich community resources, this branch library has developed a programming tradition which spotlights the strengths and interests of individuals within its community. By showcasing the treasures of local collectors, exhibiting the works of local artists, providing a venue for performances by local writers and musicians, and developing unique programs and contests to engage the collective creativity of members of the community, this library branch has successfully engaged with, and been engaged by, its community. This poster session will highlight a number of unique programs and initiatives, through which this library has invited its community to not only be involved, but to take the lead in the creation of relevant and engaging library experiences.
- Public Libraries
Are Those Real?: Teaching Visual Media Literacy in the City above Toronto
Sarah Coleman, Vaughan Public Libraries.
The Vaughan Public Libraries created a 30-40 minute workshop representing their first media literacy education program. It introduced teens to the topic of digital image manipulation. Focused mainly on digitally altered images used in advertising, the workshop gave a brief overview of Photoshop software and examined the effects of constant exposure to images of perfection. The anti-image manipulation "Dove Real Beauty Campaign" became a point of focus for teen discussion regarding images of beauty and perfection. This poster presentation will introduce the workshop and present feedback on the successes and challenges of media literacy education in the City of Vaughan.
- Public Libraries
How to Run a Successful Writer in Residence Program
Kelley England, Sharon Jennings, King Township Public Library.
The King Township Public Library recently offered their first Writer in Residence program. This Poster Session will concentrate on the process of setting up a successful program and will exhibit some of the marketing materials that were used to promote the program. Delegates will be offered the unique opportunity to speak with the author, Sharon Jennings, concerning her role and over-all experience as a "Writer in Residence." Rural and Urban libraries alike will be able to review our materials and become acquainted with the "community" approach to an author residency, within a Public Library system.
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Friday, February 1, 2008 1:15 pm - 2:00 pm
THEME: ACADEMIC LIBRARIES
- Academic Libraries
Beyond the one-shot: providing integrated instruction for large, first-year university classes
Sylvia Andrychuk, Morag Coyne, Queen's University.
First year university students need basic information retrieval and evaluation skills to prosper in their academic journey. However, the large class size of most first year classes can be a daunting challenge to librarians teaching information literacy skills. At Queen's University, librarians have introduced a multi-faceted, collaborative, course integrated approach for large, first-year classes in Sociology (~600 students) and Biology (~800 students). In both courses, a combination of class/tutorial lecturing, online instruction, and WebCT has been used to introduce students to the specific information skills they need for their assignments. In addition, the "library component" is a required, marked part of both courses. This poster session will outline the information literacy skills taught in these courses, how these skills are integrated with course assignments, and the ongoing assessment and evaluation of this instruction.
- Academic Libraries
Helping students find articles: two paths to resource discovery
Heather Cunningham, Marc Lalonde, Gerstein Science Information Centre, University of Toronto Libraries.
Finding journal articles is one of the most daunting challenges a student faces when using a library Web site. The University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) Web team employed three techniques to incorporate student input into the library Web page 2005-2006 re-design process: card sorting exercise, several rounds of usability testing and a persona. The results of card sorting and usability testing will illustrate why patron-preferred terminology and a prominent Google-like search box was deployed on the UTL home-page. The 2006 Gerstein Science Information Centre (GSIC) Web page redesign incorporated many UTL evidence-based elements. The GSIC home-page differs by not having a search box. Usability results and Dr. French, the persona of a veteran medical researcher, informed this design. These two approaches for finding articles address the needs of the university's diverse user community.
- Academic Libraries
A Spectacle of Books: Campus Author Recognition at the University of Guelph
Robin Bergart, Jim Brett, Lisbeth Sider, Lynn Campbell, Liz Chamberlain, Robin Sakowski, McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph.
In 2006, the University of Guelph Library launched its inaugural Campus Author program, an initiative designed to recognize Univer-sity of Guelph authors and celebrate reading on campus. Now entering its third year, this event has grown exponentially and is already becoming an important and much-anticipated campus event. This poster describes the Campus Author program, its aims and outcomes, and shows how a deceptively simple library outreach program can have such positive results for the entire campus community.
- Academic Libraries
Assignment Bank – Deposit and Win-Win!
Peggy French, Mohawk College.
Librarians grapple with guiding students when they have had neither the benefit of helping design assignments nor being present when they are outlined. The Library @ Mohawk's Assignment Bank – Deposit and Win-Win bridges these gaps in communication. Assignments loaded into Google Docs become living documents with library front line staff, research skills instructors, and collection development personnel all contributing and collaborating. Throughout the semester, the library works with assignments to: clarify terminology, note gaps in students' understanding, and highlight new and relevant library resources and services. Near the end of semester, assignments are e-mailed back to instructors with the benefit of the library's input — connecting library resources and services with assignment design. Learn the time-saving tips and leave with helpful tricks from the Outreach and Instruction Librarian's pilot project at the Library @ Mohawk!
- Academic Libraries
Adventures in English Literature: a New Model for Library Workshops
Justine Cotton, David Sharron, James A. Gibson Library, Brock University.
Infusing energy and enthusiasm into library research can be challenging for academic librarians. In the fall of 2007, Library staff collaborated with English Literature faculty members at Brock University to launch specialized "archival workshops" for undergraduate students. Students learned about archival materials held by the university and explored digitized texts through databases such as Early English Books Online and 18th Century Collections Online. Students learned about archival databases (CAIN, ARCHEION) and initiatives such as the British Library's "Turning the Pages" digital text project. Topics explored included children's literature, 19th century Canadian travel writings, press coverage of Jack the Ripper, and Elizabethan literature. The students left with knowledge of the role of archival materials in literary research and the skills to pursue primary research in the discipline. The display will share these ideas and methods.
- Academic Libraries
Definitely Not Avril Lavigne: Canadian music reference sources for students, performers, teachers and researchers
Michele Arbuckle, Canadian Music Centre.
Providing quality reference services to any patron looking for Canadian classical music can prove to be a daunting task and procuring these resources can be even more difficult. For patrons exposed to cultural works through live performances, radio broadcast or podcasts who are often unsure of where to go to learn more or to get a copy of the score, the Canadian Music Centre library is here to help. The Canadian Music Centre holds Canada's largest collection of Canadian concert music and exists to promote the works of its Associate Composers in Canada and around the world. Using its lending libraries, digital resources, outreach programs and classroom instruction aids the Centre is a one-stop shop for the education and promotion of Canada's classical music. Come by our poster to learn more about our online catalogue, educational tools and Centre Visit opportunities.
- Academic Libraries
Trends and Effectiveness of On-line Public Catalogues
Cynthia Bail, University of Ottawa Library.
An exploration of whether a user's reaction to and interaction with an interface is related more to the software's appearance and functionality or due to the user's personal learning style. A small sample of academic and non-academic users were asked to search a series of 5 library catalogues using predefined and structured search tasks. Screen capture software was selected to remotely record the interactions of users within each catalogue. The researcher wished to determine whether there were trends in the difficulties encountered when users searched various catalogue interfaces. The display will provide insight into the findings and discuss possible changes in on-line public catalogues.
- Academic Libraries
Going Live on a Shoe-String Budget : an Open Source VR Solution
Tim Ribaric, Laurie Morrison, Brock University.
This poster presentation will outline an easy and fast solution offered by open source software to get your Virtual Reference (VR) service started. The Gibson Library began its virtual reference service in 2006 taking advantage of the expansive body of literature about VR in academic libraries. The Library now uses Crafty Syntax, an open source software, which offers great flexibility and robust data collection about users. It allows for a more comprehensive connection with users; no need for users to create separate user account and load an application (MSN). A "Live Help!" icon was embedded into the Library Web site making staff (JAG) present to users everywhere on the site without any additional software or plug ins. This session will outline how to start using Crafty Syntax in under an hour and customize it to your own Web environment. We will also explore its use for individual reference librarians and for collecting user statistics.
- Academic Libraries
Marketing Libraries: What we can do?
Helen He, University of Toronto Dentistry Library.
As academic librarians we need to establish good relationships, create communication channels, and promote the library services and resources to our users. This poster aims to provide a few examples of what we did at the Dentistry Library University of Toronto: To maximize our approachability: provide Instant Messaging Service, offer friendly bookmarks with our key contact information. Communicate with users through regular newsletters and list-servers. Not only notify users about what we can offer, but also demonstrate how our expertise could benefit them. Ask faculty and students for feedback about our service and share this information with the community. Exhibition. Get users to comment about collection development. Follow-up.
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