Library Research Instruction Enhances Undergraduate Learning

THE

www.bsu.edu/library Ball State University Libraries

Library Insider Points of interest . . . University Libraries - Destination for Research, Learning, and Friends Technology Innovations at the Libraries Serve as Model for Other Educational Institutions Libraries Collection of Digital Media Resources Reach Users Worldwide Classroom Resources Available from Cardinal Scholar Using a Smartphone to Find Journal Articles and Other Powerful Information Resources

BALL STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

2000 W. University Ave. Bracken Library, BL-218 Muncie, IN 47306

765-285-1101 765-285-2008 (FAX)

The Ball State University Libraries Newsletter, The Library Insider disseminates information about our Libraries’ programs, services, and collections that support academic excellence and curriculum solutions for students, faculty, and the university community. Our personnel’s objective is to provide uniformly gracious, friendly service to all and to apply an extensive range of technologies that assist our learning community members in their use of education-critical information to advance scholarship and learning.

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THE LIBRARY INSIDER SEPTEMBER 2011 VOLUME 9 ISSUE 9 ISSN 1547-7894

(STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 5)

The Ball State University Libraries’ Instructional Services Program offers unique, research instruction sessions to faculty members wishing to include information fluency skills in their courses.

Faculty and librarians work together in an academic partnership to implement interactive, hands-on learning experience to help students become smart information consumers. These sessions enhance the undergraduate educational experience by improving students’ research skills and giving them a personal connection to an information expert who can help with their library research questions to

support students’ academic achievements and goals.

During the 2010-2011 academic year, Instructional Services librarians taught 607 research instruction classes to undergraduate students. These sessions were integrated into introductory composition courses, as well as courses in

nursing, business, sociology, history, education, and other subject areas.

Feedback from faculty members is consistently positive. “It was fantastic! The students commented that it was very valuable to them. We plan on making this a part of our course” says Angela R. Cox of Ball State’s School of Nursing.

Ball State University Libraries Newsletter, September 2011 Page 2

Dean’s News Arthur W. Hafner, Ph.D.

University Libraries are a Destination for Research, Learning, and Friends

The University Libraries finished the fiscal year ending in June 2011 with a turnstile count of 1,536,273, an increase of 5.5% over the preceding fiscal year. The daily average attendance was over 4,300 visits for each of the 355 days open.

When students are asked what it is they like about the Libraries, they cite Librarian to help them with research papers Great print and digital resources for research and

learning Computers, scanners, software, and other technology for

investigation and learning Comfortable environment for individual and group

learning Hours that meet their study needs – open five days each

week until 3 a.m.

Comments from students and faculty are very helpful in guiding our professional and paraprofessional personnel in meeting the research, learning, and study needs. In addition, the University Libraries use several output measures, and one of the more important of these metrics is library visits per capita as measured by turnstile count when compared to student enrollment.

To determine per capita visits, one divides the annual number of library visits by student enrollment. The metric reveals the average number of visits per enrolled student.

The accompanying chart shows a bar graph of Ball State’s fiscal year enrollment during the nine-year period from 2002-2003 through 2010-2011. It also shows a line graph of the Libraries’ turnstile count per capita. The graph depicts a generally upward sloping line for the average number of visits to the Libraries by enrolled students.

The University Libraries strive for excellence in providing the best possible services for our students and faculty. Our objective is that our users are not only satisfied with their library experience, they are delighted with it. ◙

Ball State University Libraries Newsletter, September 2011 Page 3

University Libraries’ Technology Innovations Serve as Model for Other Educational Institutions

by John B. Straw, Assistant Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections

A recent visit by representatives from Indianapolis’ Warren Central High School demonstrated how the Ball State University Libraries provide a model for employing innovative technology, creating collaborative spaces, and offering a comfortable learning environment for students and faculty.

On August 18, 2011, James Aldridge, Chief Technology Officer for the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township, brought a contingency of ten people from Warren Central to Bracken Library, including the principal, associate principal, chief financial officer, media specialists, and architects.

The group toured and heard about the Helen B. and Martin D. Schwartz Digital Complex, Bracken Libraries’ electronic classroom BL-225, the Geographic Information Service Research and Map Collection, Reference Services, the Educational Resources Collection with its computer areas, and other parts of Bracken Library where the latest technologies are utilized.

Aldridge, a Ball State alumnus, learned about the Schwartz Digital Complex by viewing videos on the University Libraries’ Web site, which are posted on YouTube, http://tinyurl.com/3nb55rj. When he began a project to remodel Warren Central’s Library and Media Center to introduce more technology to enhance student learning, the Schwartz Digital Complex served as an inspiration and model.

“I borrowed your idea for the Digital Newsroom that is in the Schwartz Complex, just on a slightly smaller scale,” Aldridge said, and he used the “flexible and collaborative nature” of the Complex’s Learning Pods area when designing similar space at Warren Central.

During their visit, the Warren Central group found many other ideas that they could use. Several Ball State librarians and staff were available to share experiences about

classrooms, computers and software technology, digital assets, and other resources and facilities available in Bracken Library for students and faculty.

The group was especially impressed with the technology and collaborative environment of the Schwartz Digital Complex. Gregory H. Graham, Ball State’s Director of Facilities Planning, and James R. Scott, Senior Broadcast Engineer, who both had been involved in developing the Schwartz Digital Complex, met with the Warren Central group and provided valuable information on the facility’s design, equipment, and technology.

Warren Central High School has nearly 3,900 students. Its physical space consists of almost 1,000,000 square feet “under one roof.” A Vision 2005 project brought state-of-the art renovations, including forty classrooms, a new field house, a ninth grade academy, and a natatorium. The updating of the library and media center is another forward-looking project for the high school, which has been recognized as a “National School of Excellence” and an Indiana Blue Ribbon School.

The Warren Central visit is the latest in several tours of the Schwartz Digital Complex by educators, librarians, and information technology specialists from around Indiana and the Midwest. Representatives from Indiana University, University of Notre Dame, Purdue University, Ohio State University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Muncie Public Library, and the Delaware County School System have visited Bracken Library during the past twenty-four months since the Schwartz Digital Complex opened.

For more information, please contact John B. Straw, Assistant Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections, JStraw@bsu.edu, 765-285-5078. ◙

Front Row (Left to Right): Martin Truesdell, Director of Architecture, Stair Associates Inc.; David Holt, Chief

Financial Officer, MSD of Warren Township; Diane Zentz, Media Specialist, MSD of Warren Township; Greg Saal, Project Architect, Stair Associates Inc.; Emily Brown,

Associate Principal, Warren Central High School

Second Row (Left to Right): Eddie Sasser, Assistant Director of Technology for Infrastructure and Support, MSD of Warren Township; Greg Davis, Electrical/Technology Designer, Stair Associates Inc.; Michael McCullough, Media Specialist, Warren Central High School; James Aldridge, Chief Technology Officer, MSD of Warren Township; Rich Shepler, Principal, Warren

Central High School

Ball State University Libraries Newsletter, September 2011 Page 4

The William Conner Farm Drawings Collection Accessible for Research and Learning in the Digital Media Repository

by Carol A. Street, Archivist for Architectural Records

The Drawings and Documents Archive is pleased to

announce that the William Conner Farm Architectural Drawings Collection is now accessible online for students, faculty, and other researchers in Ball State’s Digital Media Repository, a project of the University Libraries.

The collection consists of 36 sheets of drawings by Indianapolis architect Robert Frost Daggett, including topographical maps, elevation drawings and plans, related to the restoration of the Conner house and construction of new buildings on the property that is now known as Conner Prairie Interactive History Park.

Robert Frost Daggett (1875-1955) came from a family of architects that contributed substantially to the architectural history of Indiana. Another collection in the archive, the Daggett Architectural Records Collection, represents the work of Daggett as well as his father, Robert Platt Daggett (1837-1915), and his son Robert Frost Daggett, Jr. (1912-1985). Over the span of more than a century, the Daggetts designed numerous residences, schools, and businesses throughout the state. Among their

prominent commissions were the Indianapolis Athletic Club, James Whitcomb Riley House, Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Building, and several buildings on the campuses of Indiana, Purdue, DePauw and Butler Universities.

In 1934, when pharmaceutical executive Eli Lilly purchased the early 1800s William Conner house and farm in Fishers, Indiana, the house required immediate preservation work to stabilize it structurally and preserve its rich historical details. Lilly, a wealthy and devoted advocate for historical preservation, hired Robert Frost Daggett, who had designed Lilly’s home just a few years earlier, to oversee the structural work on the farmhouse. Both Daggett and his father, Robert Platt Daggett, had also designed many corporate buildings for Lilly’s company, Eli Lilly & Co.

In addition to restoring the Conner house, Daggett also received commissions to build other homes and outbuildings on the property during the time Lilly operated the property as a working farm. The drawings in this collection show Daggett’s numerous projects on the property, including the Conner house, a garage, well house, and a brick cottage built for the farm's longtime foreman, Tillman Bubenzer.

The modest scale of the Conner projects for such a highly accomplished architect as Daggett likely reflects the friendship between Lilly and the Daggett family, as well as the influence of Eli Lilly in the area. Commissions for the Daggett firm were inconsistent during the Depression of the 1930s and they closed for three years in the early 1940s, opening again only after receiving another commission from Eli Lilly’s company.

To view the collection, http://libx.bsu.edu/cdm4/collection.php?CISOROOT=/ConnerFarm.

For more information, contact Carol A. Street, University Libraries’ Archivist for Architectural Records, CAStreet@bsu.edu, 765-285-8441. ◙

Restoration of the Conner house for Mr. Eli Lilly: north and west elevations. William Conner Farm Architectural Drawings Collection

Ball State University Libraries Newsletter, September 2011 Page 5

The sessions are planned collaboratively with the course instructor. They are tailored to the specific research needs of the students and are aimed at helping students successfully complete research assignments for their courses. The students learn about the process of research, how to find scholarly information, how to evaluate information found on the Internet, and how to think critically about information in all its formats. These information fluency skills then allow students to begin to take part in scholarly and professional conversations within their chosen field of study.

Another way research instruction sessions enhance the undergraduate experience is by introducing students to the librarians available to help them with projects and papers. After the class sessions, librarians often receive requests from students for additional help throughout the research project and the course. During the individual appointment time, the librarian assists the student with research in his or her area of interest one-on-one, building on the skills learned in the class session. “The connections that students make with the librarians help them to feel comfortable

Library Research Instruction (STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1)

asking us for help for projects in other classes as well” says Lisa Jarrell, Instructional Services Librarian. Library research instruction is an important and valuable component of the undergraduate educational experience. When it is integrated into courses, it becomes an important tool to aid students in efficiently and effectively locating resources and evaluating their appropriateness and value. In the short term, this understanding leads to better information integrated into research papers and projects. In the long term, these skills create citizens and workers who can negotiate their way through the large variety of information resources available in computer networks and databases that have put an unprecedented volume of convenient and significant information at our fingertips.

Ball State faculty who are interested in scheduling a custom-made research instruction session for their courses may do so online at www.bsu.edu/libraries/forms/sessionreq.php. For more information, contact Lisa J. Jarrell, Instructional Services Librarian, LJJarrell@bsu.edu, 765-285-5356. ◙

University Libraries’ Digital Collection of Aerial Views of Delaware County Now Accessible for Research and Study

by Bethany C. Fiechter, Archivist for Manuscript and Digital Collections

Students, faculty, and researchers can now access digital aerial photographs of Muncie, Indiana, in the Ball State Digital Media Repository, a project of the University Libraries.

The Roger Conatser Aerial Photographs Collection includes over 1,500 aerial views of Muncie and Delaware

County, Indiana, taken by Muncie resident Conatser in 2005. Continuing to grow, the online collection eventually will include digitized materials from various formats and will contain approximately 3,000 aerial photographs ranging between 1985 and 2005.

Documenting Muncie and its surrounding cities in Delaware County, this digital collection allows a new way to view buildings and natural landscapes through aerial images. The photographs provide views of topographical changes in areas like Muncie’s central business district, Ball State University, churches, schools, agricultural areas, shopping centers, the White River, Cardinal Greenway, Minnetrista Cultural Center, industrial sites, and major roadways.

Researchers can use the Conatser collection in conjunction with other Digital Media Repository collections such as the Muncie Sanborn Fire Insurance maps (1883-1911, 1954-1955, 1965) and the Muncie and Delaware County historic maps and atlases (1826-1903) to compare and contrast the city`s landscape over time.

To view the collection, visit http://tinyurl.com/ConatserAerialPhotographs. For more information, contact Bethany C. Fiechter, Archivist for Manuscript and Digital Collections, BCFiechter@bsu.edu, 765-285-5078. ◙

Ball State University Libraries Newsletter, September 2011 Page 6

The Ball State Digital Media Repository (DMR), a project of the University Libraries, is succeeding in using emerging technologies to promote use of the University Libraries’ digital assets worldwide.

Statistical reports detailing the nature of DMR use during fiscal year July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011, show that 20,992 of the DMR’s 92,046 visitors (22.8%) accessed the site from outside the United States. These figures were generated through Google Analytics, a free statistics service that allows for detailed Web use analysis.

Figure 1 shows the county of origin of DMR visitors during the fiscal year 2010-2011 and demonstrates the widespread use of DMR resources in both English speaking and non-English speaking countries.

Figure 2 shows the geographic distribution of DMR visitors by continent during this period.

Figure. 3 provides information about the

collections accessed most frequently by users outside of the United States during fiscal year 2010-2011. A page view for a collection is any individual view of an item in the collection, any view of the collection homepage, and any view generated from a user searching or browsing through that particular collection. The figure also includes the percentage of page views per collection that came from outside the United States.

Page views for the top 12 collections represent 81.3% of all non-US collection page views. The remaining 98 collections account for the remaining 18.7% of non-US page views.

In conducting this study to analyze digital library usage, Google Analytics proved to be a valuable tool. Using this service, librarians were able to measure overall popularity of a digital library as well as usage of individual

collections and even specific items.

In addition to the information provided about assets, Google Analytics provided information about digital patrons, including which sites they came from and where they are located around the world. The tool’s capability for complex comparative statistical

University Libraries’ Digital Media Resources Reach Users Worldwide by Michael G. Szajewski, Archivist for Digital Development and University Records and Alexander B. Lemann, Emerging Technologies Analyst

Continent Total Visits % of Total Visits

North America 73,524 79.9%

Europe 11,112 12.1%

Asia 4,188 4.6%

Oceania 1,473 1.6%

South America 891 1.0%

Africa 669 0.7%

Figure 2: Geographic distribution of DMR visitors by continent

analysis provided our librarians with the ability to evaluate successes in providing and promoting digital library content. Similarly, Google Analytics allowed our librarians to examine high value areas for collection building and to develop tactics for increasing the use of digital assets.

By maintaining a broad collection scope and providing digital access to a diverse set of rare and unique materials, Ball State University Libraries is succeeding in its mission to supply digital assets for our students and faculty and also for a global user base.

For more information, contact Michael G. Szajewski, Archivist for Digital Development and University Records, MGSzajewski@bsu.edu, 765-285-5078. ◙

Country (Top 8) Total Visits % of Total Visits

United States 71,054 77.2%

United Kingdom 2,303 2.5%

Canada 1,869 2.0%

France 1,283 1.4%

Australia 1,249 1.4%

Germany 1,240 1.4%

Italy 1,119 1.2%

India 783 0.9%

Figure 1: Country of Origin of DMR visitors

Collection (Top 12) Non-US

Page Views

% of total Page

Views Outside the US

Ball State University Museum of Art Collection

27,714 25.5%

Physical Culture Magazine,

1917-1948

9,803 19.2%

Steinbeck Quarterly Journal, 1968-1993

6,894 33.7%

Sheet Music from the Hague Collection

6,553 30.4%

Ostland Atlas and Statistical Report, 1938-1943

4,682 86.8%

Anatomical Models 2,632 22.8%

Biological Specimens 2,278 29.9%

French Revolution Pamphlets, 1779-1815

2,198 37.4%

Joseph Fisher World War II Scrapbook, 1942-1945

1,643 21.2%

World War I Posters from the Elisabeth Ball Collection, 1913-1920

1,547 19.1%

Architecture Images 1,443 6.6%

Robert F. Kennedy Speech Collection, 1968

1,274 25.4%

Figure 3: Collections accessed most frequently by users outside of the United States during fiscal

year 2010-2011

Display created by Danielle Boultinghouse using resources from Cardinal Scholar

Ball State University Libraries Newsletter, September 2011 Page 7

Classroom Resources Available from Ball State University Libraries’ Cardinal Scholar by Melissa S. Gentry, Map Collection Assistant

Students, faculty, and other educators can access important classroom resources like maps, lessons, and learning games created by the GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) from the University Libraries’ Cardinal Scholar Institutional Repository. Cardinal Scholar allows users to access

these valuable resources from any location with Web availability.

Teachers and student-teachers can find numerous games, posters, lesson plans, map worksheets and activities, cartographic tutorials, and other resources in Cardinal Scholar. These classroom resources, known as reusable learning objects (RLO’s), were developed specifically for K-12 teachers to use and share.

You can access the Cardinal Scholar Institutional Repository by visiting the University Libraries’ Web page or go directly to it, http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/.

Teachers and students from around the world have used GRMC teaching and learning resources accessible through Cardinal Scholar. A student-teacher from Shenandoah Elementary School (Middletown, Indiana) used posters to create a Veterans Day exhibit at her school, and student-teacher Kevin Ginder created a bulletin board at Mount Comfort Elementary School (Mount Comfort, Indiana) using materials from Cardinal Scholar.

Danielle Boultinghouse accessed many of the GRMC’s resources for her lessons while teaching at an urban school in Indianapolis. “I used map posters of Australia during a weeklong unit. The students loved the maps and being able to learn about a faraway place. I also used the Ball State Cardinal Life board game in a lesson about college and

used maps to teach about using scale and determining distance for math class.”

Chelsea Wappes used Cardinal Scholar while teaching in Fort Wayne and said “… map resources are a fabulous tool for teachers.” A graduate student studying in England used some of the cartographic tutorials available from Cardinal Scholar to teach students how to read topographic maps.

James Carson, County Wicklow, Ireland, learned about a Jane Austen literary map available from the GRMC by using the Guide to Cartographic Resources for English/Literature in Cardinal Scholar. A cartographic lesson plan on the Cold War available from Cardinal Scholar was published in a Virginia state textbook by Five Ponds Press.

To find all of the available resources from the GRMC, click on “Communities and Collections” on the left side of the page. Scroll down to the Information Technology section, and the GIS Research and Map Collection will be listed under University Libraries. On the GRMC collection home page, click on “browse by title” in the middle of the page. This lists all the titles in the collection. For a more specific search, you may also type in a subject, such as “Africa” or “game.” Users can click on the title of the resource and save it for use in papers, presentations, or other research or print any of the games and maps.

For more information about any of these classroom resources or using Cardinal Scholar, contact Melissa S. Gentry, Map Collection Assistant, MGentry@bsu.edu, 765-285-1097. ◙

World War II Poster, using images and maps from the Map Collection, available for use in Cardinal Scholar.

Ball State University Libraries Newsletter, September 2011 Page 8

Ball State University’s 2011 Freshman Common Reader by Gera S. Roberts, Information Services Librarian

On August 21, 2011, incoming Ball State University freshman had the opportunity to read and discuss this year’s Freshman Common reader, The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeanette Walls, published by Scribner in 2005. Leading group discussions about this autobiographical

novel were Ball State faculty, staff, and graduate student volunteers.

As an Information Services Librarian at the University Libraries, I had the opportunity to create a study guide to support the incoming students’ study and discussion, 2011 Freshman Common Reader: The Glass Castle. The study guide includes background information about author and journalist Jeanette Walls, including career highlights and personal history. It highlights several of the book’s topics such as poverty, child welfare, addiction, and parenting. There are also numerous book reviews and video clips in which Jeanette Walls discusses her book and childhood on

national talk shows. View this guide at http://bsu.libguides.com/freshmancommonreader.

In addition to the 2011 Freshman Common Reader: The Glass Castle study guide, Reference Desk Assistant Susan E. Taylor designed a lobby display of materials based on the memoir. The display consisted of a poster advertising The Glass Castle as this year’s Freshman Common reader. She also added related books and DVD materials from the Libraries’ collections. Several students commented that this display and the study guide were useful tools in helping them to gain a broader knowledge and understanding of some of the most important challenges facing society today.

Jeanette Walls visited the Ball State campus on Wednesday, September 21 in Emens Auditorium to address students.

For more information, contact Gera S. Roberts, Information Services Librarian, GRRoberts@bsu.edu, 765-285-1101. ◙

Libraries Host Cardinal Kids Camp In July, personnel from the University Libraries hosted participants in Ball State University’s Cardinal Kids Camp (CKC). Campers range between the ages of four and thirteen (kindergarten through eighth grade), and visiting the University Libraries has become an annual event.

This year’s theme was Around the World, and camp participants enjoyed activities planned and presented by Libraries personnel from the GIS Research and Map Collection and the Educational Resources Collection. ◙

The University Libraries We’re always open online!

www. bsu.edu/library

Bracken Library Fall Hours Monday - Thursday 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.

Friday 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.

Ball State University Libraries Newsletter, September 2011 Page 9

The Library Insider Ball State University Libraries’ newsletter, The Library Insider, is a service of the Office of the Dean of University Libraries and is published monthly by the Ball State Virtual Press, Muncie, IN 47306.

The Library Insider supports the University Libraries’ mission and fosters community on campus through improved communication with our constituencies about topics of interest in the Libraries and in academic libraries in general.

Please refer inquiries to the Dean of University Libraries and Editor-in-Chief Arthur W. Hafner, AHafner@bsu.edu, 765-285-5277.

The University Libraries’ Hank Gerhart is The Library Insider’s principal photographer. Kris J. Humston is its copy editor. Katie M. Bohnert is the Libraries’ Marketing Communications Manager.

Visit http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/Libraries/NewsAndAdditions/LibraryInsider.aspx to view an online copy of the newsletter and its archives.

Copyright © 2011 by Ball State University. All Rights Reserved. ◙

Using a Smartphone to Find Journal Articles and Other Powerful Information Resources by Stephen K. Duecker, Information Services Librarian

Nielsen reports that 55% of mobile phone purchasers choose smartphones. With smartphones becoming a larger part of the mobile phone market, academic database publishers such as

EBSCOhost are making Smartphone friendly interfaces to their databases. So now students and faculty can search databases such as Academic Search Premier and JSTOR using your iPhone, iPad, Android, or Blackberry device. The databases can be accessed from the Ball State University Libraries mobile page, www.bsu.edu/libraries/mobile, and are also integrated into the University Libraries’ mobile app (available at http://tinyurl.com/LibrariesMobile).

The user interface (UI) is tailor-made for small screen smart devices. Features including various search limits and access to the full text of articles. Most of the databases allow the searcher to limit searches to articles that are peer reviewed or to articles with the full text available online.

The full text is surprisingly readable on a mobile device, and it can be e-mailed for future use. When full text is not available, use MultiLink to locate the article, or even request it through the Libraries’ popular Interlibrary Loan Service, which allows students and faculty to obtain items not owned by the University Libraries from other libraries and delivered to you electronically by email.

Mobile-friendly databases can be accessed from the mobile page and the mobile app, and mobile users can get to full-text when available, or use MultiLink to locate

articles.

Some of the more popular databases available with a Mobile User Interface include:

The search results are displayed in a neat and easily read fashion. You can access article full text via PDF or HTML links, or you can see an abstract and additional information about the article by tapping the article title.

For more information, contact Steve Duecker, Information Services Librarian, SKDuecker@bsu.edu, 765-285-1101. ◙

Academic Search Premier JSTOR

Business Source Premier Medline (EBSCOhost)

CINAHL PsycINFO

ERIC (ENSCOhost) WorldCat

Libraries’ Graduate and Master’s Assistants

Steven M. Gebhart is a Graduate Assistant in Information Services’ Instructional Services. He designs video and print material to support the information literacy program. Steven has a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Ohio State University. He is pursuing a Master of Architecture in the College of Architecture and Planning, and will graduate in May 2012.

Todd A. Lyman is a Graduate Assistant in Library Information Technology Services where he provides technical assistance and desktop support. He has a B.A. degree in Foreign Service and Economics from Alma College (Alma, Michigan). Todd is pursuing his M.I.S. at Ball State’s Center for Information and Communication

Sciences. ◙

Appointments

Amanda K. Collins’ new title is Information and Instruction Assistant, formerly Information Assistant, effective September 4, 2011.

J. Greg Batic, Media Equipment Technician, effective September 6,

2011.

Megan J. Watson, Information Services Librarian, effective September 21, 2011.

Lajmar D. Anderson’s new title is Archives Specialist, formerly Archives & Special

Collections Supervisor, effective September 21, 2011.

Ball State University Libraries Newsletter, September 2011 Page 10

SPOTLIGHT University Libraries’ People & Events

Profile: Cheryl O. Shull Technical Cataloging Assistant/Serials

Cheryl O. Shull joined the University Libraries in 1998, when she began work as a Periodicals Assistant in the Acquisitions Unit. She began her current position as Technical Cataloging Assistant/Serials in February of this year.

Cheryl describes her job as “Getting the record straight so students and faculty can find what they need. There’s so much available, so we have to make sure they can find it. That’s one of the things I enjoy about the job.”

She says it’s funny to think that card catalogs once just had title, author, and place of publication. “Today there is so much more data provided for each entry to allow people to find resources they need through using computers.”

Cheryl says she also enjoyed her previous position at the University Libraries. One of her major responsibilities was to check in mail, and solve any problems with missing

periodical issues. “That was a really fun part, the problem solving. Publishers might skip an issue or stop publication, and sometimes the more artistic publications might not be as predictable. We saw lots of interesting publications once we got an issue that came covered in fake fur.”

One of Cheryl’s favorite pastimes is collecting work from local artists. Visitors to Cheryl’s desk can see samples from her collection, including hand-blown glass, sketching, and photographs. “I like to meet different artists and learn more about their crafts,” she says. When asked about the size and scope of her art collection, she smiles and says “It’s not as limited as it should be … .”

Cheryl and husband Kenneth “K.G.” Shull have been married for 32 years, and their daughter, Sierra, is currently pursuing a master’s degree in history at Ball State. In addition to adding to her art collection and meeting local artists, Cheryl enjoys reading mysteries, studying the Bible, and spending time with friends and family. ◙