Annual Report 2017
USMAI Access Services Annual Meeting
April 2017
Madhu Singh organized the 2017 USMAI Access Services Annual Meeting on April 28, 2017 at USG. Members from all University System of Maryland schools and LNDL met to review USMAI circulation policies, discussed issues and shared information. Staff from the University of Maryland, Baltimore and USG presented on new technology in libraries. A hands-on video creation workshop was provided for the attendees in the afternoon session by Lealin Queen from the University of Maryland College Park (UMD) Libraries.
Loyola Notre Dame Library (LNDL)
September & November 2016, January 2017
Madhu Singh and Emily Spangler provided online and in-person training to LNDL librarians and staff on how to effectively use the Library Management System, ExLibris-Aleph in September, November, and January. They also shared Circulation and Course Reserve Guides they had created once LNDL joined USMAI.
MDTech Connect Conference
December 2016
Working with staff from the Division of Library Services & Development (the State Library) in the MD Department of Education, the chair of MD Lib Tech (a community of practice around library technology in Maryland) Nickolas Falk and Eileen Harrington planned the second annual MD Tech Connect held on December 2, 2016 at USG. This event brought together library staff and technologists from all types of libraries throughout Maryland, as well as State Library staff from Delaware and New Jersey. One hundred and seventy-nine participants shared their experiences, learned from each other, and left with tools and knowledge to convert their “ideas into impact” (the theme of the conference). Activities at the event included affinity group presentations, a tech expo and a keynote address by Trevor Owens from the Institute of Museum & Library Services. (http://mdtechconnect.weebly.com/)
UMBC Internship
July 2016 - June 2017
With the successful mentoring of interns, we continued our partnership with the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) History Program at USG and have extended the program to a one-year term. Our interns have had the opportunity to work in Omeka, an online software, to further their professional development skills in online archiving of historical documents and images, while also gaining skills in the production of public exhibits.
ACES Fair
June 2017
The Library once again participated in the ACES (Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success) Summer Bridge Program. The program provides high school seniors with the opportunity to explore various careers, and even if it is one they might not be interested in (or think they’re not interested in), still leave having gained a skill that can be useful in other career pathways. Two staff members delivered a workshop on using Adobe Spark, a suite of tools that allow you to easily create social media posts, webpages and short videos, while also introducing the students to the field of librarianship.
Graduate Research & Writing Bootcamp
January 2017
Staff from the Priddy Library and USG’s Center for Academic Success created and delivered a new workshop, Graduate Research & Writing Bootcamp on January 14, 2017. Despite inclement weather, sixteen graduate students attended from a variety of programs. This interactive workshop provided students with tools to find and manage sources for their research and for strategically reading at the graduate level. They also developed skills in technical and scholarly writing. The Library and CAS hope to hold these workshops more regularly throughout the academic year.
National Library of Medicine Virtual Internship
July 2016 - June 2017
One student from the UMD College of Information Studies (iSchool) interned at the National Library of Medicine (NLM) during the summer 2016 semester. His project consisted of the conception, planning and development of a social media campaign for use on two NLM social media platforms: @medlineplus Twitter and MedlinePlus on Facebook in English. He created content to promote the Vitamin and Supplements information hosted on MedlinePlus, which has gained national attention from healthcare professionals and academic institutions such as the University of California, Los Angeles. During the project, interest grew and led to the inclusion and collaboration with two additional government agencies, the Office of Dietary Supplements and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, as well as a request to create Spanish versions of the content (translations provided by Spanish MedlinePlus team).
An alumna of the internship program from the fall 2015 semester was selected as an Associate Fellow at NLM for 2016-17. The Associate Fellows program is a competitive one-year postgraduate training fellowship.
The NLM Virtual Internships grew out of a Memorandum of Understanding between USG, the UMD iSchool and Libraries, the Health Sciences and Human Services Library at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and NLM. These semester-long virtual internships allow students to work for the world’s largest biomedical library, while also fitting in their other classes, work and family obligations.
Writing Tutor in Library
Spring Semester 2017
Through collaboration with the Center for Academic Success, a writing tutor was scheduled in the library to provide assistance to students needing help with writing and editing papers. Tutoring was available by drop-in or by appointment four days a week during the spring 2017 semester.
Gaithersburg Book Festival
May 2017
This is the third year the Library successfully participated in the Multicultural Storytime at the Gaithersburg Book Festival, on Saturday, May 20, 2017. USG students read to children in Spanish, French, Amharic, Farsi, Arabic, and this year we had the debut of one of USG’s staff members teaching Sign language to children and adults alike.
Library Student Advisory Board
July 2016 - June 2017
A Library Student Advisory Board was launched in Fall 2016. The purpose of this board to facilitate open communication between the USG student community and the library. We gather feedback to assess user satisfaction and look for new ideas and ways to bring about change to the Priddy Library.