Monday, November 11, 2013

volume 1 issue 4



Community
      As the semester rolls on, we have been very busy in the library. We have visited several classes and offered bibliographic instruction sessions, we have provided tours of the library, and we have participated in community events (both here at BRCC and in greater Baton Rouge). Capacity building and creating a sense of community are central to the vibrancy, effectiveness, and life of a library, and it is also central to the mission of BRCC. The American Library Association (ALA) affirms this philosophy and offers information on how you and your library can grow with these ideas to the fullest extent (linked here).

      Statistics from the ALA cite that 95% of users and 83% of non-users believe the library to be somewhat or very important within their community. The organization also described how libraries support events that bring the community together and develop the overall culture that binds groups together. These goals are part of what we do in Magnolia Library, and there are many ways that you can participate: request a bibliographic instruction session for your class, sign up with us to volunteer, or join the Friends of Magnolia Library. We exist for you, and to find out more about how you can participate in these activities call the library (216-8555), email a librarian (librarian@mybrcc.edu), or stop by.  


Louisiana Book Festival
      The 10th annual Louisiana Book Festival took place on the grounds of Capitol Park November 2nd and was sponsored by the State Library. Your Magnolia Librarians represented the college at this event by volunteering in different capacities. Some of these duties included serving as author escorts, room monitors, and shuttle drivers. The event was a success for the State Library and for Baton Rouge. The book festival was covered by The Advocate, and a  link to that article can be found here. The State Library is already making plans for next year, and volunteers will again be needed. It's a great way to get involved with the community, and it is never too early to think about signing up to volunteer along with your friendly librarians.

Eric Stewart, Kathy Seidel, Jackie Jones, and Peter Klubek
volunteering at the 10th annual Louisiana Book Festival.


Toys for Tots
      The BRCC Library Club is pleased to sponsor the "Toys for Tots" toy drive for BRCC again this holiday season. "Toys for Tots" is an initiative of the U.S. Marine Corps Reseve, whose goal is "to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens."

      This year the drive will be taken to all BRCC sites. Look for the festive collection box on your campus and please donate new, unwrapped toys. The BRCC toy drive will run from from November 1 to December 5, 2013.


Library Club members Tanekeia Diamond,
Neil Bernard, Eric Stewart, Rusty Burrell, Korayja Jone

Friends of the Magnolia Library
      The mission of the Friends of the Magnolia Library is to support the Baton Rouge Community College Library in its resources, programs and services that will better serve the students, faculty, staff, and community. Friends membership is open to anyone who values the library and wants to do more to support and help energize our role as a vital community resource. Different activities of the friends group have included: Library club activities, book talks and exhibits, One Book One Community programs, advocating libraries and literacy in the community, or bringing your own new ideas when you join! 


The Friends of Magnolia Library Board members:
(left to right) Kathryn Arrington (Treasurer),
Harrietta Bridges (Vice-President)
 Laura Younger, Suzanne Rohli (Secretary),
Melanie Sims, and Mary Lou Earle (President).
 Not shown: Mary Katherine Politz

      The Friends of Magnolia Library have commissioned a festive holiday ornament based on original art by BRCC’s Carrie Causey, Assistant Professor of English & Humanities. Says Board president Mary Lou Earle, “The Friends Board will use the proceeds from ornament sales to bolster Library programs and professional development, which will make Magnolia Library an even richer resource for BRCC students and faculty.”  Causey’s design is a white magnolia in full flower against a satin red background, with “BRCC” on the ornament’s opposite side.  Ornaments are  $10 each and can be purchased in the Library.  For more information:  225-216-8555.


Front and back image of
BRCC Magnolia Library holiday ornament. 


READesign at Bernard Terrace
      On Tuesday, October 22nd,  Capital One Bank team members and Heart of America staff transformed and updated the Bernard Terrace elementary school library into a great learning center for the school. Your BRCC librarians have developed a working partnership with Bernard Terrace and were also invited to participate and volunteer in updating this library space. In addition to new paint and furniture, new resource materials were also provided. There were enough books purchased for this makeover, that each student in the school got to select five books to keep! With the relationship between the school and Magnolia Library, more partnerships are sure to develop. Talk to your librarians if you would like to volunteer for future projects, including the Read Across America project in the spring.  


Peter Klubek building a chair in the
newly renovated library space.
  

D.I.G.
      Jacqueline Jones, Associate Dean of Learning Resources, served as one of the panelists at this years Diversity Interest Group (D.I.G.) mentoring program that was held Saturday, October 5th, on the LSU Baton Rouge campus. This year's theme was "Keeping Pace with Transformation of Libraries in an Ever Diverse Society." Six panelists discussed the reorganization of libraries due to budget cuts and attrition of staff, as well as the services being offered to users along with various modes of communication used to attract users. Associate Dean Jones shared background on the College's recent merger with the technical colleges in and around the parish, and the impact on staff to meet the informational needs and services of an additional six campuses. This was the first year the program was made available virtually to participants through Adobe Connect.



Jacqueline Jones
at D.I.G.

LALINC Directors Meeting
      The Louisiana Academic Library Information Network Consortium (LALINC) formally known as LOUIS, met on BRCC's Mid City Campus Thursday, October 17-18. This marked the second time for BRCC to host this meeting. Library deans and directors from across the state were in attendance.

Group photo of LALINC library deans and directors.


Dual Enrollment
      As part of our ongoing role to assist you and your students in the development of Information literacy skills, we led a tour of the library for dual enrollment students on October 15. This group of students was visiting campus from White Castle, and they got the oppertunity to see first hand many of the features and resources found at Magnolia Library. The overall response from the high school students was very positive with several commenting that they plan to attend BRCC when they graduate.

     As a recruitment tool this is very powerful. While on the tour some of the students spotted alumni who graduated the previous year.


Laddawan Kongchum leading a
library tour for dual enrollment.
Shereen Marx leading a
library tour for dual enrollment.


      This service is not limited to incoming students, but is open to all instructors and courses at BRCC. If you would like to schedule a tour of the library and its resources for your class, call the library at 216-8555, or e-mail librarian@mybrcc.edu.

Student Nurses' Association
      Reference Librarian, Lauren McAdams was a featured guest speaker at the November 4th meeting of the BRCC Student Nurses' Association (SNA). McAdams gave each student in attendance a flyer with quick tips on how to use the library's resources. The students also learned about a the library hours at Frazier and the Nursing Libguide that is available to them 24/7 online. Interested in checking out the Nursing LibGuide yourself? Here's the address: http://guides.mybrcc.edu/nursing
   


Lauren McAdams leading a session at the
BRCC Student Nurses' Association.


Acadian Campus
      Services and activities continue to develop at the Acadian campus. During the Fall Fest event, Associate Dean of Learning Resources, Jackie Jones and Reference Librarian, Kathryn Seidel were on hand to provide information about the resources and oppertunites the library has for students and instructors at this location. These events are a great way to meet and talk to your librarians about the library services you require for your classes.


Jacqueline Jones and Kathy Seidel at Acadian Fall Fest

     On November 6 and 7, Kathy Seidel also continued our workshop series to introduce faculty to the library’s electronic resources. Similar to the SEEK series offered in the past, these workshops focused primarily on the EBSCOHost databases and Learning Express. If you missed these sessions it's not too late. The Magnolia Library will present an additional workshop on using the library electronic databases for faculty at the Acadian campus.  This session will meet on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 12:30pm in Acadian room 224. Please join us to learn more about these wonderful research tools! If you are unable to attend and would like to schedule a different instruction session, please contact Kathy Seidel at seidelk@mybrcc.edu.


Kathy Seidel leading a database workshop
at the Acadian campus.
      
      These popular seminars are available to all faculty at all BRCC locations. If there is a particular database your are curious about, or if you have any questions about the library databases, please contact your library liaison, or email us at librarian@mybrcc.edu. More database workshops are in development, and with your feedback we can tailor these sessions to meet your specific questions and needs.

New Resource
      Our Cataloging Librarian, Jenny Wong, has been hard at work cataloging Shepard's Law books. These books are part of the Shepard's Citation Service. This service provides a comprehensive case citation and treatment history to verify the validity of case law, agency opinions, and other legal documents.  Shepardizing is the practice of using Shepard's Citation Service to validate a citation. Our new collection includes citations for Federal, United States, and Louisiana. These volumes enter our collection as  a donation from Jamie Gurt. They are available, and can be found in the Reference Stacks.


Jenny Wong processing the Shepard's Citations









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