Decking the halls and letting it snow

The elegant and warm Festival of Trees took place on Friday, December 2, 2011, in the Denk Chapman room of the Madame Cadillac building. The Staff Advisory Council did a phenomenal job organizing and hosting the event, and they chose a lovely theme in "Lighting the Way: A Symbol of Peace, Hope, and Thanksgiving."

And oh, was it beautiful. Ken Malecke, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, was responsible for securing the 25+ donated trees. Different departments and offices around campus volunteered to decorate them. Here's a before and after shot of the Library's tree:

Before...

...and after!

Antoinette Cartwright, student president of The Association of Dramatic Artists (TADA!) welcomed the large crowd. Jane Hammang-Buhl, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Leslie Love, President of Staff Advisory Council, made the opening remarks. Students Jeriel Woods and Dejon Parmer were accompanied by Tara Sievers of the Music department on piano. Student Jennifer Colvin performed a liturgical dance solo, and then TADA! and the Theater Department showed a short film of Marygrove students, staff and faculty describing what they're thankful for this holiday season. The Office of Student Engagement and Leadership provided donuts and hot cocoa - so delicious!

What are we thankful for this holiday season? Among other things, magical mornings like this:

Marygrove Library resources go viral!

Well, almost viral...

On June 22, a librarian from Kaplan University Hagerstown sent the Marygrove librarians this question via our Email-A-Librarian service. He wrote:

I would like permission to link to your APA website on our library research page. This page is a great help to our students. Thank you.

Specifically, he wanted to link to the document created by librarian Jennifer Meacham, titled "Microsoft Word 2007: Formatting Your Research Paper using APA Style." What's unique about this document, as opposed to most other APA guides, is that it includes detailed instructions for students using Microsoft Word. Here's a screenshot:

 Of course we were happy to give him permission. But guess what? It turns out Kaplan isn't the only university to recognize the value of Jennifer's work. Here are a few other places that link to us:

University of Kentucky School of Education
University of Florida School of Nursing
McKinney Independent School District (Texas)
eHow.com
answerbag.com

To view the full APA guide, as well as guides for MLA and Turabian styles, visit this Marygrove Library webpage: http://research.marygrove.edu/research-help-a-guides/apa-mla-a-turabian-styles.

As always, if you have questions don't hesitate to leave a comment below, or give us a call at 313.927.1346.

Your librarians are in New Orleans...Want to know why?

We're presenting a poster session at the American Library Association's 2011 conference about our use of WordPress and Joomla to market the Marygrove College Library. Stay tuned for details! (But we'll leave you with this: jambalaya, gumbo, and po' boys are all made in heaven.)

Follow the conference on Twitter: #ala11

This post was updated June 30, 2011:

Library assistant Laura Manley (who's this close to finishing her library science master's degree and becoming a full-fledged librarian), along with fully-fledged librarian Christine Malmsten, had the privilege of presenting a poster session on marketing the Marygrove College Library this past weekend in New Orleans.

Their session was titled, "If You've Got It, Flaunt It! Marketing Your Academic Library with Wordpress." Laura and Christy described how they created an online magazine (a 'zine) to showcase the library's services, especially those that aren't well known. They also presented the results of a survey designed to figure out who's using library resources, who isn't, and why.

What frustrated them during this process? Having to switch 'zine software halfway through. They originally began designing the 'zine using OpenZine.com, but due to (un)usability issues and the fact that it's supported by advertising, they switched over to WordPress.com.

What delighted them about this process? Two things in particular: first, sharing experiences with other information professionals at the conference (including some international librarians); and second, the large number of students, staff and faculty who took the survey. These members of the Marygrove community sent a flood of positive feedback. Sample comments: 

• "The library staff is very warm and welcoming" 
• "I have found the all of the Library staff to be very personable and knowledgable"  
• "I do find the reading room a great place to study with my laptop, so if I have a block of time, I will head that way"
• "I enjoy spending time in the library, it takes me away from the stressful vibe of the academic setting. I meet up with friends and we discuss upcoming assignments and use the computers. It is a necessity on campus"
• (and our personal favorite) "I love the library"

More details about Laura & Christy's presentation as well as full survey data are available upon request. You can reach Christine Malmsten at 313.927.1378 or cmalmsten@marygrove.edu. You can reach Laura Manley at 313.927.1540 or lmanley3312@marygrove.edu

No surprise - Andrea helps us maintain our standard of excellence

A comment we received today:

"I am a faculty member @ Wayne State University and needed to find a book that our library does not carry. Andrea Hanserd was extremely helpful. She pointed me in the right direction and helped me make copies. This kind of service is not often found in most libraries. You are smart to have her. Thank you. Dr. Monica White"

Good going, Andrea!

Library assistant is winner of 2011 Amy S. McCombs/Frederick P. Currier Writing Award

Library assistant Theresas Spiteri is one of the 5 winners of the 2011 Amy S. McCombs/Frederick P. Currier Writing Award. The other winners are Mia Balbin-Cuesta, Percy Pierce, Emily Sese, and Della Young. Congratulations!

This award is held in conjunction with the Contemporary American Authors Lecture Series, which will take place Friday, April 15, in Alumnae Hall, and feature the poet and literary scholar Harryette Mullen.

Read more about this award, the lecture series, and Harryette Mullen here: http://www.marygrove.edu/home/news/press-releases/1025-amy-s-mccombs-frederick-p-currier-writing-award-winners-announced.html

Meet library assistant (and corset-wearing) Theresa!

Theresa Spiteri is one of our full-time library assistants in the circulation department. She is a history major with a minor in English and will graduate from Marygrove College in May of 2012. After graduation, she plans to attend Wayne State University to obtain a master's degree in library science & information with a concentration in archival work. But she won't stop there! Next she'll obtain her master's degree in history with a military concentration from Norwich University in Pennsylvania, with the long-term goal of earning her Ph.D.

Theresa's path from work study student to full-time assistant has been circuitous. She was our work study student for one semester; when her financial aid package changed she was no longer eligible for work study but remained with us as a volunteer (that's right, folks, a volunteer!) for the remainder of the academic year. The following year she was hired as a part-time employee until finally a full-time position became available. She jumped at the chance, and we were thrilled to hire her.

She enjoys reading, hiking, camping, swimming, and spending time with her family and friends (when she's not studying or working, that is). She also enjoys participating in any activity that relates to history; this year, for example, she visited the Renaissance festival for the first time - corset and all.