The Learning Ground at Portland State Library

With funding from ASPSU, OIT, and the Library, the new lab space opened during the fall term. The lab area features additional desktop PCs and Macs as well as several quick-print workstations and a dedicated counter area for laptop users.

In January, we opened the Sandbox, an expansion into the area formerly occupied by the New Books browsing area and adjacent to the computer lab. The Sandbox is an experimental, collaborative space with a range of technologies aimed at fostering student collaboration, including wall-embedded LCD displays, touch-screen computers, floor-to-ceiling writeable wall surfaces and whiteboards, and a variety of seating and workspaces.

A view into the Sandbox through the windows from the Library lobby.

All the furniture is easily moved. This table can be adjusted to seating or standing height.

The Sandbox is designed to evolve; the technology and space will change with students’ use and needs, and we are glad to have this new space to meet the needs of Portland State University students.

Please note: We gather at a host library for each webinar – these sessions are open to EVERYONE (members and non-members alike) and are intended to encourage group discussion and networking. Online access to the session URL will be emailed to ACRL-Oregon and ACRL-Washington members after each webinar.

From Idea to Publication Part One: Understanding the Research Question
February 7, 2012
Learn to formulate and define good research questions, select appropriate research methodologies and design the research study. Specific topics will include developing useful questionnaires, techniques used in conducting telephone interviews, working with focus groups and constructing surveys to get the information you need.

Location: Oregon State University, Willamette Meeting Room
Contact: Jennifer Nutefall (Jennifer.Nutefall@oregonstate.edu)
Time: 10:30 am – 1:00 pm PST
Parking information TBA

From Idea to Publication Part Two: Analysis and Writing
March 7, 2012
Quantitative methods necessitate certain kinds of analyses, while qualitative methods operate on different assumptions and different kinds of data.  It is essential to have an understanding of the appropriate forms of analyses (along with their possibilities and limitations).  Learn learn to express their research in publishable form.

Location: Portland State University Library, Room 160
Contact: Amy Hofer (ahofer@pdx.edu)
Time: 10:30 am – 1:00 pm PST
Parking information TBA

Shifting Sands: How Small Changes in Policy, Culture and Technology are Determining the Future of Libraries
March 27, 2012
Discover how changes in national and international policy, the growth of the free culture movement, and the rapid evolution of technology are having big impacts on libraries, and what you can do to help turn the tide.

Location:  Washington State University at Pullman, Room TBA
Contact: Corey Johnson (coreyj@wsu.edu)
Time: 10:30 am – 1:00 pm PST
Parking information TBA

From Idea to Publication Part Three: Submitting for Publication
April 3, 2012
Learn how to select an appropriate journal or publisher, learn how to prepare a manuscript for submission, and understand what the submission process will encompass.

Location: University of Washington at Tacoma Library, Room TBA
Contact: Erica Coe (elcoe@uw.edu)
Time: 10:30 am – 1:00 pm PST
Parking information TBA

http://goo.gl/XpfKl

Thanks!

Jane Nichols

Position #2 – Academic Library Representative

University System Term ending 6/30/2014

Statewide Database Licensing Advisory Committee
http://www.oregon.gov/OSL/LD/technology/sdlp/index.shtml

************************
Jane Nichols
Collection Development Librarian
& Associate Professor

Oregon State University Libraries
jane.nichols@oregonstate.edu
tel: 541.737.7269
************************

“I have had a number of wonderful ‘aha’ moments at fall conferences and made some great connections with fellow members over the many years I have been a member and part of the Board.  Too many in fact to do justice to here, so I will focus on one such event since it ultimately led to my current professional position!  I met Janet Tapper (Western States University) when we served on the ACRL Oregon Board together – eventually we co-presented at OLA Annual Conference on evidence-based practice, which later led to my publishing an article on my part of the presentation. Janet also provided the knowing nudge that led to my applying for my current position at the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center, when she saw my resolve flagging under uncertainty about whether they would ever hire a social sciences librarian (“let them decide whether you qualify for the position, don’t pre-emptively decide yourself!”). A thousand thanks Janet (!), and ACRL Oregon for providing useful content, venues to develop professionally, and networking opportunities – it has made a huge difference in my professional career.”

Interested in adding your thoughts to the series? Please email your blurb to your library’s blog liaison or Robin Paynter (Communications Coordinator) to get it posted.

“Working with the ACRL Oregon board and being part of ACRL Oregon has provided me with some of my most satisfying inter-institutional professional experiences.   I have thoroughly enjoyed interacting with and working with my colleagues on the ACRL Oregon board, whether it is helping plan an ACRL-sponsored session at the Oregon Library Association conference or trying to figure out the best ways to provide continuing education opportunities to member colleagues. One of the significant outcomes of the connections I have made through ACRL was meeting Robin Paynter, with whom I have partnered on several projects, including some research.  I might have eventually done this research on my own, but being able to partner with Robin provided me with needed impetus (not to mention enthusiasm and energy and a veritable cornucopia of brainstorming!) to really get started.

I am now in the process of partnering with a few other librarians on different projects, including some research. These collaborations have been greatly facilitated by connecting with these colleagues through ACRL. All of these connections and camaraderie have greatly added to my sense of being part of a community of academic librarians in Oregon and in the region.”

Interested in adding your thoughts to the series? Please email your blurb to your library’s blog liaison or Robin Paynter (Communications Coordinator) to get it posted.

“As an MLIS student in the Emporia program, ACRL Oregon provided me with valuable opportunities to connect with academic library staff throughout Washington and Oregon.  The annual conference is a great way to introduce yourself to the profession through lightning talks and social gatherings.  ACRL Oregon is an effective forum for students to build resumes, create opportunities, and make friends!”

Interested in adding your thoughts to the series? Please email your blurb to your library’s blog liaison or Robin Paynter (Communications Coordinator) to get it posted.

“Librarianship is inherently a collaborative profession and, in my opinion, ACRL-OR is a valuable means of facilitating partnerships.  The annual conference provides the only regional forum that is dedicated to the issues of academic librarianship, and I’ve found it to be a meaningful opportunity both to learn from colleagues and to create connections that are easier to sustain simply because they are local.  ACRL-OR also brings a necessary voice to statewide discussions of librarianship through its participation in the Oregon Library Association.  Common issues like literacy and intellectual freedom are best addressed holistically, not in school/public/academic silos, and ACRL-OR’s active involvement in OLA provides a connection to colleagues in school and public libraries.  To remix an old saying: membership in national organizations enables us to think globally, but membership in ACRL-OR makes it easier to partner locally.”

Interested in adding your thoughts to the series? Please email your blurb to your library’s blog liaison or Robin Paynter (Communications Coordinator) to get it posted.

Happy reading – and please email us your comments/thoughts!

Through its inclusion of student and staff voices, the University Council’s action represents a unique contribution to the growing number of statements and policies in support of open access to scholarship.