This is the inaugural issue of SCU library newsletter.
IN THIS ISSUE
2 Message from the University Librarian
3 Library\u27s First Floor Transforms
4 Unearthing our Mission History
5 Personal Librarian, Anyone?
6 Library Launches Popular Reading Collectio

Santa Clara University Library

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Scholar Commons - Santa Clara University

Santa Clara UniversityScholar Commons@SCU_Library Newsletter University LibraryFall 2015Fall 2015Santa Clara University LibraryFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/lib_newsPart of the Library and Information Science CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University Library at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in@SCU_Library Newsletter by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact rscroggin@scu.edu.Recommended CitationSanta Clara University Library, "Fall 2015" (2015). @SCU_Library Newsletter. 3.http://scholarcommons.scu.edu/lib_news/3Santa Clara •, University IN THIS ISSUE 2 Message from the University Librarian 3 Library's First Floor Transforms 4 Unearthing our Mission History 5 Personal Librarian, Anyone? 6 Library Launches Popular Reading Collection The last three years have brought significant changes in the University Library. Guided by the library's Strategic Plan we have focused on the needs of our community, fostered engagement, and built partnerships. In the last two years we've made great strides in accomplishing our goals and objectives. The articles in this inaugural newsletter highlight some of our accomplishments. What will you find in this inaugural issue? When you were in college did you ever wish you had a personal librarian you could reach out to for assistance? Personal Librarian Programs are being implemented at universities of all sizes across the country. We decided to take a slightly different path to implementation at Santa Clara . Helene Lafrance describes our program, the students we are reaching, and our initial success. Space, and additional study space, continues to be in great demand in the library. Based on feedback gathered over an eight-month process we have completely redesigned the first floor of the library. Read more about our process and see pictures of the before and after in the article by Elizabeth McKeigue and me. Have you ever wondered what life was like when the Mission was founded? Thanks to a two-year donor funded archivist position, we have now processed and made available the Mission Santa Clara Manuscript Collection covering 1777-1851. Erin Louthen and Tom Farrell provide highlights of the collection and you can view portions of the collection on line along with selected translations. Outside of additional study space, one of the top requests from students was for popular reading material. Last year we started a popular reading collection, conveniently located on the first floor of the library. Rice Majors describes the collection, which gives both students and faculty a break from academic reading, and offers some statistics on usage. I hope you enjoy reading more about our programs. And you can expect to hear more from us. We'll be publishing this newsletter twice a year to keep you up-to-date on all our activities. We would love to hear from you as well! What are your memories of the library? Send me your memories at jnutefall@scu.edu. Thank you for your continuing support of Santa Clara University Library. Jennifer Nutefall University Librarian 2 Library's First Floor Transforms Jennifer Nutefal I jnutefall@scu.edu Elizabeth McKeigue emckeigue@scu.edu Do you remember what the library looked like when you were a student? Was it easy to find help? A place to study? A renovation completed this year completely transformed the first floor of the library. With the building only seven years old, why renovate? We wanted to improve service, respond to students' changing needs, and improve efficiency. The library joined with Academic Technology and Information Technology in 2013 to conduct an eight-month data gathering process to make recommendations for redesigning the library's first floor. Our focus was on obtaining student input which was achieved through a flip chart survey asking students how they used various areas of the first floor, focus groups, and a campus-wide survey which received over 2,300 responses. Based on the results, we decided to consolidate service desks, relocate the first floor reference collection, and add additional collaborative seating. Construction began in December 2014 and included a new, custom-built Library Help Desk conveniently located at the front entrance. The desk features counter height seating on one side where library users can study and meet with librarians for research help. We also added a new hold shelf for self-service pick-up of books adjacent to a self-service checkout machine. Library users can now quickly locate and check out the materials they've requested without waiting in line. Additionally, the relocation of the help desk provided an opportunity to repurpose an office space into a permanent satellite location for The HUB Writing Center. In June 2015, the reference collection shelving was removed, providing the space to add a variety of new tables and seating. A site visit to a furniture showroom with a student focus group gave us crucial input on furniture options. Students were drawn to the counter-height tables and stools, soft seating with built-in outlets, mobile privacy screens to create semi-private space, and dual swivel chairs that can be moved easily for group study. Library staff worked with designers to create a final floor plan. Ultimately, over 80 new seats have been added to the first floor. We have received extremely positive feedback and comments from the whole community, and students in particular. Comments received from students include: "I like that the first floor is becoming a better space to collaborate and work with others:' "The different types of seating create a fun but focused environment for studY:' "I come to the library more often than before cause it just gives a better feel and environment for studying:' Library Entry (Before) Reference Collection Shelving (Before) New study space (After) 3 Thomas Farrell Erin Louthen tfarrel l@scu.edu elouthen@scu.edu Archives 8 Special Collections (A8SC) has been working through the Mission Santa Clara Manuscripts Collection, which consists of hundreds of manuscripts primarily written and collected by the Franciscan missionaries from the founding of the Mission in 1777 until the arrival of the Jesuits in 1851. Over the last two years, A8SC has created a descriptive guide for the collection which is published on the Online Archive of California, as well as a digital collection where we've scanned some of the documents for online viewing. The documents in this collection detail the missionaries' spiritual endeavors, as well as various aspects of daily life at Mission Santa Clara. The collection is organized around nine themes: • Sacramental records • lnformes (mission reports) • Fr. Viader's miscellany book (which served as a reference book for life in Mission Santa Clara and covers such themes as church doctrine, health care, and food production) The collection includes a wide variety of materials, including account books, annual reports, and instructions on wool-processing and cuisine, among others. The digital collection consists of representative items from each of the themes. The majority of the manuscripts are in Spanish. A number of the original documents have been translated, and these translations are included alongside the originals in the digital collection. We invite you to browse the digital collection (http://content.scu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/msc). For more information about the Mission Santa Clara Manuscript Collection, including a detailed description of each series, visit the Guide to the collection at the Online Archive of California. (http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c85d8v2g/). Mission Santa Clara Indian dwelling c.1784- 1818 4 • Ecclesiastical and governmental correspondence • Secularization and the formation of California's first diocese • Personal legal and financial records • Music manuscripts • Alta California manuscripts This table lists the missions, presidios and pueblos that constituted Alta California in 1816. ltalso provides quantitative information about the demography of these locations as well as their production in agriculture and cattle-raising. Personal Librarian, Anyone? Helene Lafrance hlafrance@scu.edu Have you ever dreamed of having your own Personal Librarian, someone who can answer questions and help you with all your information needs? For some Santa Clara students, this dream has come true. In fall 2015 the library implemented a Personal Librarian program to establish one- on- one relationships between student and librarian that last until the student's graduation. We initially identified transfer students as a group likely to benefit from individual attention. Studies show that transfer stu-dents often have a hard time adapting socially and academically to a new institu-tion. They are often a more diverse group in terms of age, education, and social back-ground and their needs for support might be greater than those of the average freshman. Very little information is available on the information skills and research experience of transfer students; however, we know that they miss out on the library instruction sessions offered to all entering freshmen. As a result, they are often unaware of library resources and services available to them, which has been a long-term concern for the library. After implementing a small but successful pilot project with transfer students last year, Academic Support Services suggested other groups likely to benefit from the program. This fall we reached out to 234 students: 138 transfer students, 33 students on acade-mic probation, and 63 Lead Scholars (a cohort of first generation students) . Eleven librarians are participating in the program and have been busy contacting students, requests for help. The results so far are encouraging. Although still early in the quarter, more than 20% of the students contacted have met with their librarians and asked for help. At the end of this academic year, we plan to survey participants to get more accurate data on the impact of the program. The personal librarians are already receiving positive feedback from their students, who clearly appreciate the individualized help. The program is also very rewarding for staff. SCU librarians pride themselves on providing assistance to all students wherever or whenever they need it, in person or virtually. But this new program is different, as it gives librarians the opportunity to help the students with their research needs and connect with them on a more personal level. As librarian Shannon Kealey says: "When students know that we care about them beyond just their academics, we hope they will be more likely to approach us for help." Sometimes a friendly face and a personal touch is all it takes to help students succeed. SCU librarians pride themselves on providing assistance to all students wherever or whenever they need it, in person or virtually. setting up appointments, and responding to Science Librarian, Shannon Kealey assisting Sydni Estrella, undergraduate in Biology. 5 Library Launches popular reading collection Rice Majors rmajors@scu.edu In summer 2014 the University Library created a Popular Reading collection of both fiction and non-fiction (e.g. hiking guides for local trails) titles to engage our Santa Clara community. This was in response to requests for easier access to leisure reading choices, coupled with our own desire to encourage our students' life-long reading habits. Our collection started with books already in the library but which are now much easier to browse in their new location near the front entrance to the building. We have added another 500 popular books based on bestseller lists, book club lists, patron suggestions, and other usage data. In our first 15 months, we are consistently seeing 125 -160 items checked out at any given time (about 20% of the collection). Both non-fiction and fiction titles are circulating well , and we have been successful in reaching all demographics in our campus community (faculty, staff, students) with just over half of the transactions being to students. In the words of one faculty member, "it is exactly what many patrons want: an eclectic, curated selection of good books to read for leisure reading and chance discovery." The library is still building awareness of the Popular Reading collection . This summer we featured Facebook and lnstagram posts focusing on themes within the collection (women in leadership; books about food; books adapted into films). We are also creating bookmarks with reading lists from book clubs for people who may have a goal of reading 12 good books per year. As you may know, Santa Clara alumni may check out materials (including the Pop collection!) in person using a library card from a local public library - or may request a courtesy SCU library card for free by visiting the library. ~. ,·~~ University Library scu.edu/library 6 

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