Brick & Click 2019

Staff turnover, varying practices across service points, and consolidation of previously independent units are three starter reasons to document common practices. This session will address the development of central documentation and continuous operations plans for a library system operating five campus locations. What types of resources are suitable for managing and providing access to documentation? How can buy-in be obtained from staff? How can documentation facilitate regular cross-training, particularly for tasks where repetition is key to familiarity? The presenter will incorporate brainstorming activities exploring pros/cons for different documentation methods and local applications. Attendees will be encouraged to share their challenges and successes with similar processes.

The purpose of this talk is to lead a discussion about employing Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS) students in the role of librarian. Partnerships between a willing mentor and library student can prove beneficial to the student, mentor, participating library, and the profession. This talk will be presented from the perspective of a former library student and the library director who employed her. They will discuss what they learned in their two-year mentorship journey at a small, rural, two-year college in Missouri and share the conclusions they reached based on those experiences.

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Indiana State University’s accreditation is due in 2020. The library must provide assessment that documents its effectiveness in supporting the University’s mandate to effectively educate undergraduate and graduate students. There is a plan. There is an Assessment Team who consulted a Library Assessment Specialist. The team collaborated with the University’s Assessment Coordinator. Rubrics have been developed that reflect the needs of diverse library departments. Staff questions and concerns of more work but less time to balance the work load are being addressed. Data is being collected. The presenters will share the team’s successes and failures, both major and minor.

Libraries have a history of being productive and valuable partners. Saint Louis University Pius Library is no exception and collaborates with a number of independent units throughout the campus. This session highlights a successful collaboration with a library department and two separate IT units, which combined managers, full time staff, and student workers in a single workspace. The combined IT/Library service model at Saint Louis University has a multi-generational workforce, with ages spanning from 18 to 64 years old.  Faculty, staff, and student employees effectively work together toward a common goal of providing exceptional service to the user. Successes abound, challenges exist, and the project continues to evolve.