Excerpt: Having the skills and knowledge to adequately respond to technology-based information demands has never been more important. When the library at East Tennessee State University was opened in 1999, it was the first new academic building that had been constructed on the campus in a number of years

Adebonojo, Leslie

Campbell, Kathy A.

Ellis, Mark

English

East Tennessee State University

East Tennessee State UniversityDigital Commons @ East Tennessee State UniversityETSU Faculty Works Faculty Works7-1-2012How IT Continuing Education Has TransformedOur LibraryMark EllisEast Tennessee State University, Ellism@etsu.eduLeslie AdebonojoEast Tennessee State University, adebonol@etsu.eduKathy A. CampbellEast Tennessee State University, collinska@etsu.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-worksPart of the Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Higher Education Commons, and theLibrary and Information Science CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in ETSU Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For moreinformation, please contact digilib@etsu.edu.Citation InformationEllis, Mark; Adebonojo, Leslie; and Campbell, Kathy A.. 2012. How IT Continuing Education Has Transformed Our Library. IFLANewsletter Trends & Issues in Library Technology. https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/information-technology/Newsletter2012July/tilt_v1_i1.pdfHow IT Continuing Education Has Transformed Our LibraryCopyright Statement© IFLA. This document was originally published in IFLA Newsletter Trends & Issues in Library Technology.Creative Commons LicenseCreativeCommonsAttribution4.0LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.This article is available at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University: https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/377 How IT Continuing Education has Transformed our LibraryBy:Mark Ellis,Govt. Documents, Law, Maps LibrarianSherrod Library,East Tennessee State University.Leslie Adebonojo,Undergraduate Outreach Librarian,ETSU.Kathy Campbell,Head of Reference,Sherrod Library, ETSU.Having the skills and knowledge to adequately respond to technology-based information demands has never been moreimportant. When the library at East Tennessee State University was opened in 1999, it was the ﬁrst new academic building thathad been constructed on the campus in a number of years. During the design development phase, the librarians worked with thearchitects to create a facility that would have the adequate infrastructure for the information technology used in the 1990’s. At thattime, all of the computers were required to have data connection cabling. All cabling was designed to be carried though the ﬂoors.The reference area was considered the principal site for research and instruction. A reference collection of some 25,000 volumeswas moved from the old facility to the new, and 24 computer workstations were placed through the center of the reference room.At the back of reference, the library had a smart classroom, outﬁ'ed with an instructor’s workstation, a data projector, an Elmooverhead projector, and sixteen student workstations. Most classes involved the students following the librarian through a sessionusing relevant databases.In many ways, the interior of the library had a very traditional layout. Circulation was across from reference on the ﬁrst ﬂoor.Other departments such as Periodicals, Government Documents, and the Archives were arranged according to foot traﬃc at thefront of the building on higher ﬂoors. A large book stack area for the circulating collection lay at the back of the building on eachﬂoor. Since the building was the newest structure on campus and centrally located, it was immediately popular as a gatheringplace for students. It was also viewed as prime real estate for other units on campus. A mural from the Appalachian Studies Centerwas hung on the ﬁrst ﬂoor. The campus tutoring services set up shop in classrooms on the third ﬂoor, and instructors in a numberof departments used study rooms to meet with students.As the Oﬃce of Information Technology’s training section grew and developed a twofold mission of providing technology tostudents (principally through computer labs) and training to faculty and staﬀ, the section of the unit devoted to training facultyand staﬀ was split oﬀ as a new department called Academic Technology Services (ATS). Due to the growth of the Oﬃce ofInformation Technology, ATS had spread into a number of buildings, repurposed to provide support and instruction.In 2003, the Director of ATS met with the Dean of the Library to look at several areas which might be converted into a home forATS. They ﬁnally se'led on a large area at the back of the reference room. It was considered a good location for the new ATSoﬃces, since the their staﬀ needed oﬃce space to provide individual help to clients as well as manage and prepare theirworkshops. The Dean and the ATS Director also decided to transfer the smart classroom to ATS. Since both areas were theresponsibility of the Head of Reference, and moving the collection out of the area would require signiﬁcant staﬀ time, they askedhim if he would be willing to give up the area in exchange for services or technology yet to be determined.After a long discussion, looking at the advantages and disadvantages of giving up the space and the classroom, the Dean and theHead of Reference decided to go along with the plan with several stipulations outlined below. The stack area at the back ofReference housed old editions of indexes. While it was the policy of the library not to subscribe to both print and electronicversions of an index, the older editions which were duplicated electronically had been retained. A new policy was set to withdrawprint indexes duplicated by electronic subscriptions. This change was more revolutionary than it might sound, because at thetime, there were many questions about budgeting for renewals and ownership of electronic databases if subscriptions lapsed. Inthe end most of the retrospective collections were withdrawn. Probably the most diﬃcult decision was to give up the smartclassroom, as it was well outﬁ'ed and used by other departments in addition to the library. The library had another largeclassroom on the third ﬂoor, although it was not a smart classroom. The Director of ATS agreed to reﬁt the third ﬂoor classroomas a smart classroom with equipment the library selected. ATS also initially oﬀered to let the library use the ﬁrst ﬂoor classroom;however, due to the course load of ATS, the library has rarely been able to utilize the room.Between the time the library was planned and the date it opened, wireless technology grew as an important mode for transmi'ing3 of 15information. The new building was, unfortunately, planned without wireless network capability. By the early 2000’s library userswere beginning to use more technology that required wireless capability.We were between the PDA era and the Smartphone era, and most laptops were also incorporating wireless technology. It wasﬁnally decided that the best bargain for giving up the space would be the installation of a wireless network in the library building.The network would also beneﬁt ATS and any other units working in the building. Consequently the ﬁrst wireless hubs were set upin the library.Almost as an afterthought, ATS oﬀered to hold a place in its Faculty Technology Leadership (FTL) class for a member of thelibrary faculty. Each year ATS oﬀers a two-semester, graduate-level course called Faculty Technology Leadership to a selectgroup of faculty across disciplines. The purpose of the course is both to train faculty in advanced educational technology and toencourage the development of online courses. As a bonus, participants are given the means to use the technology, including videocameras, laptops with programs such as Camtasia, and other equipment to develop multimedia presentations. Librariansimmediately responded to this opportunity, and for almost every year since ATS moved to the library, a librarian has participatedin the class.ATS Staﬀer Adam Greever with Dr.Susan Epps in the FTL ClassroomHaving ATS in the library provides the added beneﬁt of immediate assistance with technology, as well as a'racting faculty andstaﬀ from other departments to the library. Now that ATS has been in the library for ten years, the entire library faculty has madethe commitment to complete the FTL course, and new library faculty members are encouraged to enroll in the course at theirearliest opportunity. The skills and knowledge taken from the FTL course have transformed the library in almost every area. Thefollowing list outlines some of the ways librarians incorporate technology into their work:Using the university’s course content management system to market library resources and serve as a training site for student workers and graduateassistantsResponding to online reference questions with short Camtasia and other multimedia videosUsing LibGuides (web-based subject guides) as basic research guides, as speciﬁc course guide, and as organizational toolsIncorporating the QuestionPoint chat service into referenceDeveloping streaming video through local hosting on the ATS serverA major consequence of incorporating elearning technology has been a restructuring of the library. This emphasis on elearninghas created a ﬂuid environment for librarians, so that as users’ information needs change, our jobs have been transformed. Everylibrarian’s job description now incorporates technology relevant to their specialty, and new hires are now expected to have atechnology skill-set applicable to their speciﬁc job. For example, candidates for the distance education librarian position had todemonstrate competence with Adobe Connect and other web conferencing applications.In addition to changing the administrativestructure, the physical structure of the library has undergone major changes.4 of 15First Floor of the LibraryThe reference area is now classiﬁed as a computer lab, with more workstations and improved printing. The reference desk itself isalso the center for IT advisors who lend laptops and other equipment and help students conﬁgure their laptops and tablets for useon the campus network. The IT workers have taken the job of technology trouble-shooting from the library staﬀ, so that librariansnow have more time to concentrate on helping users with content. With the wireless network, service points in all departments arebusier because patrons take laptops to all areas of the building. Probably the greatest change can be seen on the ﬁrst ﬂoor. Beyondthe reference and circulation departments, the stack area has been replaced with a tutoring and writing center, a testing center,and a café/deli, in addition to an expanded ATS.Earth Day Event in the Library PlazaThe library as place has become more important. During the past ﬁve years a complex of new dormitories was built in the areanext to the library. Since the majority of students living on campus now pass the library to go to the student center, classroombuildings, or campus recreation facilities, the library and the plaza in front of the library have become the true center of thecampus. Students have deﬁnitely come to view the library diﬀerently and are requesting that we provide services 24/7, year-round.Now that the library has been retooled, students see the library as an indispensable resource, a place to do research, a place to gethelp with research and writing, and a place to meet and study. We must meet the challenges presented by our students’ newperspective of our value to the university, and with the help of our friends in ATS, we feel we can meet these challenges.Contact:Mark Ellis (Govt. Documents, Law, Maps Librarian, ETSU Library) ellism@etsu.edu5 of 15

How IT Continuing Education Has Transformed Our Library

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How IT Continuing Education Has Transformed Our Library

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