Library
Promoting & Supporting Open Education
Starting in July 2022, the library supported two faculty members in creating open educational resources for their courses, both of whom received Create grants from the Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) Faculty OER Mini-Grant Program. As part of receiving these grants, the faculty members and Eileen Harrington, the Assistant Director and Health & Life Sciences Librarian, participated in the year-long Rebus Foundation’s Textbook Success Program to foster their skills and knowledge in creating and publishing open educational resources (OER). Bardia Yousefi (Biocomputational Engineering, UMCP) is creating the textbook Machine Learning for Data Analysis and Karen Clark (Nursing, UMB) is creating a series of modules called Health Informatics: A Beginner’s Guide to Systems.
The library’s acquisition of an institutional Pressbooks Network in January 2023 has facilitated the creation of these two faculty members’ OER. Pressbooks is an online publishing platform that allows faculty and staff from USG partner institutions and USG staff to create, adapt, and share OER. The library offered two workshops in Spring 2023 to promote the incorporation of open and affordable content into courses at USG and raise awareness about this new useful platform. A new Open Educational Resources subject guide on the library’s website includes myriad resources on finding, adapting, and publishing OER, incorporating open pedagogy approaches in courses, and advocating for OER.
Virtual Reality Lab
The Priddy Library at USG successfully launched its first Virtual Reality Lab (VR Lab) on February 1st. The lab boasts three fixed stations, each with comparable and updated systems to provide the best user experience. Currently, the VR Lab has six virtual headsets and a library of games, educational learning applications, and experiential content. During designated walk-in hours, students, faculty, and the USG community are welcome to experience the emerging VR technology. Moreover, in the spring semester, the lab provided technical support to programs such as communication studies and gaming and simulation design. The VR Lab is supported by two interns who are currently pursuing their undergraduate degrees, helping to ensure smooth and efficient operations.
Inventory
In the Spring of 2023, Priddy Library Access Services performed an inventory of the collection. Previous inventory had been taken in 2017. The 2023 project commenced on March 28, and was completed on June 13; it took a total of 61 days within that period that the library was open and staffed. Altogether, the project averaged an inventory check of 344 items per day, totalling 20,195 (stacks) not including supplemental collections. Thirteen staff (including 10 student employees) participated in the inventory. Library Services Technician Ivy Roberts led the project, with Library Services Specialist Franklin Ofsthun managing student employee participation.
​
Number of items inventoried: 20,195
Number of items missing (before): 9136 (2.2%)
Number of missing items reclaimed: 45
Number of items missing (after, actual): 124 (0.006%)
Total checked out: 573 (0.02%)
UMD Interns
This past year, the library welcomed two students from the i-School who benefited from the knowledge that the librarians shared with them and who complimented their training through their fieldwork at the Priddy Library. They assisted in various projects which prepared them for library careers in public and/or academic libraries, such as: creating video clips and collecting testimonials related to students’ challenges in obtaining required course materials, assisting in the creation and development of an exhibit, teaching workshops (Zotero, Writing & Citing with APA, and Filtering Fake News), and based on the scope of the Juvenile Collection, selecting and recommending books to add.
Furniture Move
This past year, the library performed a furniture and technology redesign. Long tables from the central area were relocated to the quiet study area; computers in the reading area were removed and replaced with dual-monitor docking stations for laptops; moveable furniture including white boards, desks, rolling chairs, standing desks, and yoga ball chairs now occupy the central area. The redesign will accommodate student groups and collaborative projects.
New Hires
In October, we welcomed Parisa Meisami who joined the library team serving as the interim Program Manager, Data Services.
We welcome Jeni O'Connor to the library as our new Library Services technician.
Forthcoming Departure
After more than a year of assisting patrons in their quest for information and ensuring Priddy Library was available as a resource to both USG and the community in the evenings and late-night, Ivy Roberts moves on to adjunct professorships at UMGC and MC. She has been instrumental in leading and finalizing the inventory project, a critical component for determining available resources and easing the migration from our current Integrated Library System to the next one. She has also served as a core planning member of the Launchpad internship program, and has brought caring and supportive supervision to our student employees working during some of our more challenging shifts. We wish her the best as she continues her career and education!