Midterm is upon us

   

      It hardly seems possible, but midterm is upon us. First seven weeks courses have wrapped up their finals and second seven weeks courses will soon be under way. For classes that run the full semester, this is often a time when a major project, paper, or presentation is at hand. Now might be a good time to remind your students about all of the resources the library has to assist with these assignments. It is also a time to reflect on the research process and how it is not always linear.

      Jessie Daniels at the London School of Economics and Political Science reminds us that in the 21st Century, scholarly research does not follow the logical path that it once did. She explains how an article she wrote on race and racism in the Internet began as a Tweet, became a series of blog posts, and then finally developed into the peer-reviewed article published in New Media and Society. As educators and scholars we are all familiar with each of these types of communication and understand the merits of each form. However, this is not always the case with our students. The library is here to help in that regard, and we can guide your students towards an appreciation for research and an understanding of how to develop their thoughts beyond posting on social networking sites. In reference to the quote above, imagination is powerful and it is our job at BRCC to maximize this potential in our students.

Research Skills in Action

BRCC poster presentations at the LUC conference 

Librarians Peter Klubek, Kathy Seidel and Shereen Marx represented BRCC at poster sessions during the 21^st annual LOUIS Users Conference (LUC) held on October 3-4 at the West Baton Rouge Conference Center in Port Allen.  Klubek’s poster depicted his study of “Dedicated Study Space Within the Library and the Impact on Grades,” which demonstrated that students who used the dedicated study space succeeded in passing the course at a rate 13.6 percentage points higher than the students who did not use the dedicated space.  

Peter Klubek presenting his poster at the LUC conference

The poster produced by Marx and Seidel, “Attack the Slack in the Stacks: Shelf-shifting Simplified,” showed the plan the two librarians developed to quickly move more than 60% of Magnolia Library’s circulating collection to make way for the possible construction of two new rooms within areas currently occupied by stacks.

Kathy Seidel presenting her poster at the LUC conference

Shereen Marx with her poster at the LUC conference

      LOUIS is the centralized support staff of the Louisiana Library Network, a consortium of academic libraries, state and private libraries, and museums and archives.  Located on the LSU campus, LOUIS sponsors an annual conference for its members to address their research, learning, and teaching needs. 

Research Services Available

Sample LALINC card

      Many BRCC faculty and staff may be unaware of a great benefit that is offered through Magnolia Library – a LALINC borrowing card – which gives card holders a way to borrow materials from private and public academic libraries at Louisiana colleges and universities other than their own.  In Baton Rouge alone, this makes the collections at Southern University and LSU accessible.

LALINC cards must be renewed from semester to semester, and possession of a card does not guarantee borrowing privileges from all Louisiana academic libraries. Also, policies differ from library to library.  For example, LSU requires presentation of a valid VISA or Mastercard to borrow items.

For more LALINC borrowing information or to request a card, ask your librarian at the reference desk or contact Shereen Marx at marxs@mybrcc.edu.  To obtain a LALINC borrowing card, your BRCC library account must be in good standing, with no outstanding overdue items or library fines.

More information about the Louisiana Academic Library Information Network Consortium (LALINC) can be found at the LOUIS website: here.  

Louisiana Book Festival

      The Louisiana Book Festival is opening in a few short weeks. This is a one day event, on November 2nd from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It is sponsored by the Louisiana Center For The Book and features food, music, poetry, and of course books! It is located on the grounds of the State Capitol, Capitol Park Museum, and nearby locations. This fun festival provides an opportunity to meet authors and enjoy book related activities and presentations.

Traditionally your BRCC Magnolia librarians have participated in this event by volunteering.

Book Festival 2011
Back Row: Peter Klubek, Kathy Seidel, Brenden McAdams, Eric Stewart
Middle Row: Hunter Anthony, Lauren McAdams, Bea Gyimah
Front Row: Jenny Wong, Shereen Marx, Laddawan Kongchum, Joanie Chavis

The book festival is always looking for more volunteers. If you are interested in participating, click here to volunteer. Be sure to sign up as a group with BRCC Library.