Faculty Newsletters: Fall 2016

Josh Mayfield has chosen to do his graphic design internship with the University Libraries during the fall 2016 semester! Look for his great designs across campus and join us in welcoming him to the team! Here's a little bit more about Josh from a recent interview:

Q:  What's your major/what year are you?

A:  I am a double major in graphic design and painting. I'm going into my Super Senior Year.

Q:  Favorite movie?

A:  Tough one, but I would probably have to go with Empire Strikes Back. Goodfellas gets a close second.

Q:  Favorite book?

A:  Another tough one, but I would have to pick The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

Q:  Biggest fear?

Jackie Worth joins us this semester as our very own videographer. She's volunteering her skills and expertise, so we can produce some exciting videos to market the library. 

Q:  What's your major/what year are you?

A:  I am a returning student, studying graphic design and video production.

Q:  Favorite movie?

A:  The Matrix.

Q:  Favorite book?

A:  Frankenstein.

Q:  Biggest fear?

A:  I'm afraid to tell you.

Q:  Why did you choose the library for your internship?

A:  I love making videos.

Curriculum & Media Kit Fair

Over the past five years the Harriett K. Hutchens Library has reviewed and updated its teaching curriculum to better meet the needs of SBU's teachers in training. During the 2015-2016 academic school year numerous media kits were purchased to help students prep for their student teaching experiences. Please promote these kits to your students! 

On September 21st from 1-4, the Harriett K. Hutchens Library will host a curriculum/media kit open house in the curriculum lab to showcase the materials available, so spread the word!

Current Kits

• Chinese for Kids Flash Cards
• Phonics 
• Food Pyramid 
• Super Magnet Lab
• Geometric Solids
• Equivalency Cubes
• Animal & Plant Cell Models
• Drawing Basics
• Etc.

Harriett K. Hutchens 20th Anniversary Celebration

In honor of the building's 20th anniversary, there are some special festivities planned for the month of October.

• Art Exhibit - (art students will do paintings/drawings depicting the library as they see it - on display entire month)
• Library Love Letters - (the SBU community can write us notes and drop them in a box at the front of the library - entire month)
• Cupcakes & Punch - October 5th - 1-4 PM

Faith Integration in the Humanities: Faculty Panel

This year the University Libraries is looking forward to hosting its first panel discussion! The topic will be how to integrate faith in the humanities profession. Four-five SBU faculty will serve on the panel. The panel will answer several scripted questions, but attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions that apply to living out their faith in these fields. 

When: October 27th at 7 PM

Where: Harriett K. Hutchens Library

Who's Invited: SBU faculty, staff, students; Bolivar community

​Finals Week Reflections

Since the University Libraries began hosting finals week events 3-4 years ago, the library staff have recognized the following: 

1. Students LOVE engaging in activities that take them back to their childhood - recreating memories facilitates stress relief and a feeling of security.

2. Students LOVE free stuff - food, crafts, etc.

3. Students LOVE human interaction. In the midst of this busy week, students are stopping to chat with us from anywhere between 30 seconds-several minutes. They like having a listening ear.

4. Student Engagement is Up as a result of these festivities. We have anecdotal and statistical proof. Foot traffic has dramatically increased during this week and students are talking about finals week during campus tours, discussing it in the biennial library survey, and leaving positive comments about the University as a whole on our Facebook page during this week.

5. Students LIKE our special hours.  At 3 AM when Dr. Walton and Rebekah are stoked about going to bed after working so late, students profusely thank them for keeping the library open. 

6. Students RECOGNIZE that our mission is genuinely about bringing the library to them. It's not just a statement.

Upcoming Finals Week Festivities for December 2016

• 4 Days of Christmas Crafts (DIY Christmas Crafts in 30-60 minutes - Supplies Provided)
• Perler Bead Station
• Friendship Bracelet Station
• Coloring Pages 
• Hand Massages
• Pet Therapy
• Popcorn & Drinks

If you have any recommendations about how we can make finals week better, please contact Bethany Messersmith. We are always interested in pursuing additional campus/Bolivar community partnerships to provide more stress relief opportunities for our students! 

Pinterest​ Nights at the Library

In an effort to increase programming to the undergraduate population this semester, Rebekah Ruggles will be leading some craft nights throughout the semester. Upcoming dates/times will be posted on the portal, so stay tuned.

The University Libraries created its first marketing plan in 2012, a year after hiring three new librarians. Since that first plan was unveiled, the library's services and resources have received increased exposure campus-wide. Here are some of the key areas targeted by the first plan:

Marketing Priorities 2012-2016

• Library Branding 
• Collections 
• Research Assistance
• Facilities (includes programming, enhancing study spaces, etc.)

Marketing Priorities 2016-2018

• Centralized Communication (focusing on the message and the mediums)
• Distance Learners - (proactively engaging with this audience about library services and resources)
• Technology (providing more collaborative workstations and mobile technology to support learning)
• Facilities (including programming, enhancing study spaces, etc.)

Students who took the 2016 Biennial Library Survey reported a need for more access to PCs at the front of the library. For the past four years, the University Libraries has noticed an increase in the use of workstations located at the front of the Harriett K. Hutchens Library, which is largely the result of the unrestricted number of tasks that students are now able to complete on these computers. Previously, the libraries limited them to conducting research only on these machines. Now students utilize the workstations to do research, type up papers, print something just before class, etc. Due to the quick and easy access students have to these workstations, the five that are currently available are in use the majority of the time.

The library faculty and staff engaged in conversations with ITS during the spring 2016 semester to determine how additional workstations might be added. ITS graciously agreed to purchase six additional computers, which will be added to the other side of the work station where students currently have access to 5 computers.

There are three electronically enhanced study rooms available for small group study. We encourage you to make reservations in advance or at the time of using any of the study rooms. Use this electronic calendar to make your reservations.

Study rooms may be used by: SBU Students, SBU Faculty, SBU Staff, or Harriett K. Hutchens Library Guest Patrons.

• Occupancy: Maximum Occupancy is 8. Maximum Time Period is 2 hours.
• Using the Study rooms: Reservation is compulsory. Individuals must relinquish to a group if all other rooms are in use. Guest patrons must relinquish to SBU faculty, students, or staff.

Reserving study rooms:

• Groups may reserve study rooms up to two weeks in advance.
• Groups who do not show up within 15 minutes of their reserved time forfeit the reservation.
• Individuals may not reserve study rooms in advance.
• Individuals may not use the study rooms after 5:00 p.m.
• Exception: Students with identified special needs should contact library staff for assistance.

Please visit this research guide for step-by-step instructions. The University Libraries is excited about this service made possible through EBSCO.

The University Libraries has been working on an interactive map of its collections for the past year. For those new to SBU and the Harriett K. Hutchens Library, this visual tool will make it easier to locate specific materials.

A big thank-you to everyone who provided feedback on the University Libraries' services/resources during the spring 2016 semester. Here are some highlights from the survey:

Survey Completion:

871 Students (all campuses)

 74 Faculty (all campuses)

82 Staff (all campuses)

Communication Preference When it Comes to Informing People of New Services & Resources: 

• Portal (faculty, students, staff)
• Blackboard (students & faculty)
• Campus monitors/digital signs (significant preference among staff)

University Libraries' Strengths:

• Resources provided are sufficient
• Physical space [individual/collaborative study areas]
• Special events [murder mystery, game night, finals week, etc.]
• Research assistance
• Librarian visits to the classroom

University Libraries Areas for Growth:

• Physical space [more individual/collaborative study areas & furniture to support student learning]
• Computer technology [more iPads, laptops, Netbooks, etc.]/New technology [3D printing, etc.]
• More science/anatomy models
• More standardized test prep books, curriculum materials/educational kits, popular fiction
• Blended learners* are unaware of resources that the library currently provides [tutorials, research guides, personal librarian program-the library must be more proactive about marketing to these students]

*The survey asked students to indicate whether or not they were distance learners, defined as students taking classes solely online OR off-campus (i.e. does not take classes at the Springfield, Bolivar, Mountain View, or Salem campuses directly, but meets at another location). This does not include students who are taking online and face-to-face classes simultaneously. The question was inapplicable to the majority of students, since the MSN program is the only one that is solely online. The University Libraries should have asked students to self-identify as blended learners [defined as learners enrolled in a combination of virtual/face-to-face courses].

A more comprehensive report will be released this fall. Look for it on the portal. For additional questions, please contact Bethany. 

Popular weekly newspapers that the University Libraries subscribes to have been moved behind the desk where the bestseller collection is located. This is the desk directly across from Circulation & Reserves. Feel free to walk behind the counter and read any of these periodicals. They were moved this summer to free up room for the additional computers that ITS funded for the online information commons at the front of the library.

Students still prefer print books to the eBook format, which is why the University Libraries is looking forward to rolling out a new bookplate program this coming spring. Parents and/or students can purchase a bookplate for 25 cents, which will then be affixed to a book in the student's academic discipline. Book selections will be a collaborative effort between the student and designated library personnel. Please stay tuned for more details as the program begins to take shape.

Wisdom Library, Salem Campus

• August - “Back to school Orientation Celebration" - Nancy will show each new student around the library and show them the various systems of info on library sources.
• September - “Support the local school Back-Pack Program" - Students will bring in the needed items to give to the local organization for needy elementary students.
• October - “Author’s Tea”- Students in the children’s lit. classes present their various authors'  selections and then enjoy free refreshments.
• November -“Baskets of Blessings”- Students bring in canned goods for the local food pantry!
• December - The Bolivar music group will come again and present music for our “Intro. To Music Class”
• December - "Graduation Capping Ceremony" - the graduates invite their families to share in their accomplishment

Mountain View Campus Library

• No events planned.

Mercy College of Nursing Library

• click here

ITS has agreed to purchase some collaborative learning stations for the Harriett K. Hutchens Library. With the number of group projects that students visit the library to complete, these stations will be set up in the Earl Allen Model Pastor's Library and other highly trafficked spaces. 

The Harriett K. Hutchens Library has started acquiring quite a few workout DVDs that you can checkout. Here are some of the latest titles!

• BarreAmped boot camp: low impact interval fat blasters : 4 workout blasts for a toned body and sleek physique 
• Tighten tone and torch 
• BarreAmped: cardio fat burn : high intensity intervals for ultimate fat blast 
• Gorgeous Core
• 10 minute solution. High intensity interval training 

With the number of distance learning opportunities increasing at Southwest Baptist University, the University Libraries recognizes how important it is to be proactive about outreach efforts to students who complete coursework via the virtual/face-to-face classroom combination. A new research guide is available with answers to questions these students typically have. Please consider making an announcement about this guide in your Blackboard classroom and passing the information on to adjuncts.

Doyin Adenuga resigned from his position with the University Libraries in May, so please feel free to seek out the following librarians with regard to your collection and instruction needs:

• Susan Kromrie - Purchase of Resources
• Bethany Messersmith - Instruction/Research Assistance

American Theological Library Association (ATLA) Historical Monographs Collection I & II - ATLA Historical Monographs Collection: Series 1 contains over five million pages of content, and consists of titles from the late 13th century through the 1893 World Parliament of Religions, with the majority of titles from the 19th century. Because religion was such an integral part of the social, political and economic fabric of life during this time period, historians researching a wide range of areas, not just religion, will find invaluable material relevant to their work.

This collection covers diverse topics such as philosophy, the evolutionary debate, the Reformation, spiritualism, prayer, ancient linguistics, archeology, devotionals, ethics, and more in a variety of languages.

ATLA Historical Monographs Collection: Series 2 consists of over five million pages of content from over 14,880 monographs dating from 1894 through 1922. This collection provides a broad view of the changing landscape of religion in America at the end of a century of dramatic cultural and political change.

It offers material on the significant shifts in the religious identification of Americans and the growing interest and experimentation with non-Western religions. It presents a comprehensive picture of American life at the time with the rise of missionary activity and evangelical Christianity and the emergence of the historical critical method – the foundation for all twentieth century biblical scholarship.

Artemis Literary Source - Artemis is a discovery tool that enables searching literary information from all of Gale's databases in a single search. It includes the specific online library criticism volumes as well as the indices to which the University Libraries subscribes.

Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive (replaces International Index to Performing Arts this fall) - "is a database which currently offers two thematic collections covering “Music, Radio and The Stage” and “Film and Television”. Combined they offer access to nearly 30 key US and UK trade and consumer magazines covering the broad spectrum of the entertainment industry and media including film, television, popular music, radio, and theatre. The magazines are included cover-to-cover, from first issue to the year 2000, and the scope encompasses weekly and monthly mass-market trade as well as popular titles." - ProQuest's Website

WestlawNext (we are canceling this subscription and keeping LexisNexis). WestlawNext provided access to newspaper and magazine content, which is still available through LexisNexis.