SLIS had a strong presence at the Indiana Library Federation Conference held November 13-15, 2007 in Indianapolis. In addition to the SLIS Alumni Reception where the Distinguished Alumni Award was given to Merri Beth Lavagnino (MLS'89), faculty from SLIS Indianapolis gave a number of presentations. Many SLIS alumni have settled in Indiana, hold leadership positions in the state, and also presented at the conference.

The theme of this year's conference was Building Community @ Your Library. The excerpts below are taken from the ILF Conference Program:

SLIS Indianapolis Faculty Presentations:

•Rachel Applegate and Katherine Schilling
Implementing Outcomes Based Planning and Evaluation for Project Success: A Hands-On Workshop for Project Planning

This session introduced participants to project / program planning and evaluation using the outcomes-based planning and evaluation (OBPE) process. Through this interactive workshop, participants were introduced to the OBPE methodology and worked through sections of Shaping Outcomes, an interactive, web-based tutorial from the IMLS to get started on developing their own programs using OBPE. OBPE follows a user-centered approach to program development — planning, building, and measuring the success of a program based on its impact on its audience. Applying OBPE helps librarians design projects that focus on recognizable goals and products, services or impact.

•Rachel Applegate
Simple Surveys

Participants learned the basic steps in creating and understanding simple surveys: purpose, format, audience, validity, and (briefly) results. The session included an understanding and practice of how to formulate different types of questions, reviews of good survey layout and presentation techniques, and an introduction to simple descriptive tools for results.

•Rachel Applegate
You Have a Stack of Surveys: Now What?

Summarizing, analyzing and probing survey results can be challenging"and it is much easier if you know some tricks as you start to type your data into a computer. This session illustrated how to organize your data and then effectively create and convey basic audience-oriented findings. It described options for doing deeper analysis, both on your own (with Excel) and with assistance (someone with SPSS).

•Marilyn Irwin
Youth and Intellectual Freedom

As part of the Libraries and the Law series, issues related to youth and intellectual freedom were addressed. Topics covered included access to collections and services and challenged materials and how to address a challenge.

•Marilyn Irwin - (panel with Dr. Susan Mannan, Ivy Tech and Edie Huffman, Indiana State Library)
The State Of Library – Related Education in Indiana

The panel discussed credit programs at Ivy Tech Community College for support staff, undergraduate and graduate options at the Indiana University School of Library and Information Science, and the certification picture for public libraries.

•Jean Preer
Building Community by Extending Library Service: A Historical Perspective

Using examples from Indiana and around the country, this illustrated talk highlighted how librarians and library supporters over the last century have sought to extend library service to unserved and underserved areas. Working in their communities, library advocates have built coalitions with women’s clubs, civic groups, and farm organizations, and used the latest technology, radio, film, and the Internet, to expand the reach of libraries. As Indiana today faces the dilemma of how best to bring library service to unserved and underserved areas, these experiences demonstrate how librarians in the past have effectively made the case for extending library service.

•Katherine Schilling
Career Transitions Executive Leadership Program (CTELP) Connecting Highly Experienced MLS Students with Host Libraries and Professional Mentors

The Indiana University School of Library & Information Science at Indianapolis (SLIS) is partnering with the Indiana Library Federation (ILF) and Indiana State Library (ISL) to develop the Career Transitions Executive Leadership Program (CTELP). CTELP is designed to build capacity for identifying, recruiting, educating, and mentoring the next generation of library managers and leaders. It seeks to address the profession’s need for highly qualified new MLS graduates who have the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to assume management and leadership roles in libraries and information centers. Through their engagement with professional mentors, on-site library residencies, projects, and coursework, CTELP students will gain experience and insights into the challenges of leading a complex information organization.

•Barbara Albee (with Susan Leach-Murray, Johnson County Public Library and 2004 SLIS graduate)
Are MODS and MADS in your future? A look at two XML metadata schemas in support of MARC21

This program presented an overview of both metadata schemas and their importance to future developments in cataloging. The presenters looked at the history and development of the Metadata Object Description Scheme (MODS) and the Metadata Authority Description Schema (MADS) as XML schemas in support of MARC21 formats. The goal of the presentation was to initiate other libraries to consider what the use of metadata may offer for their individual libraries.

Posted December 05, 2007