C&RL News November 2017 534 N e w s f r o m t h e F i e l dDavid Free DePaul opens expanded information commons, maker space On September 27, 2017, DePaul University opened the newest expansion of its Richard- son Library Information Commons, including new tools and technology focused on collabo- ration, digital scholarship, and data services. A suite of media con- tent creation stu- dios (Studio 1581) provides new re- sources to students using media across the curriculum, and a maker space (Maker Hub) places the library at the center of a growing number of “maker” resources at DePaul and in the city of Chicago. Faculty engage- ment is also at the center of this new space, with offices in the library for campus partners such as Faculty In- structional Technol- ogy Services and Studio CHI, a cross-college digital scholarship center already partnering with the library on projects such as the NEH-funded, Reading Chicago Reading (https://dh.depaul.press /reading-chicago/). More information is available at http://bit. ly/2ywjXoD. Nominations sought for ACRL Board of Directors Higher education is experiencing unprec- edented change, providing academic librar- ies with tremendous opportunities to define new roles related to learning, teaching, and research. ACRL is dedicated to enhancing the ability of library and information professionals to dream big and shape our new future. Be a part of shaping that future. The ACRL Leadership Recruitment and Nominations Com- mittee (LRNC) encourages members to nominate themselves or others to run for the position of ACRL vice-presi- dent/president-elect and director-at-large in the 2019 elec- tions. To nominate an individual or to self-nominate, please submit the nomination form at www.survey- m o n k e y . c o m / r /acrlboardnomina- tions. The deadline for nominations is February 15, 2018. LRNC will re- quest a curriculum vita and/or a state- ment of interest from selected in- dividuals prior to developing a slate of candidates. If you have any questions about the nominating or election process, con- tact LRNC Chair Jennifer Nutefall at jnutefall@ scu.edu. More information about the ACRL Board of Directors is available at www.ala.org/acrl /resources/policies/chapter2. Digital Library Federation, HBCU Library Alliance name 2017 DLF HBCU fellows Twenty-four individuals, primarily from histori- cally black colleges and universities (HBCUs) or with HBCU backgrounds, attended the 2017 Digital Library Federation (DLF) Forum and DLF Liberal Arts/HBCUs Preconference in DePaul History professor Roshanna Sylvester and University Archivist Andrea Bainbridge working with a 90-inch interactive touch screen that can be used for data visualization, digital art, and game play. https://dh.depaul.press/reading-chicago/ https://dh.depaul.press/reading-chicago/ http://bit.ly/2ywjXoD http://bit.ly/2ywjXoD http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/acrlboardnominations http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/acrlboardnominations http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/acrlboardnominations http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/acrlboardnominations mailto:jnutefall%40scu.edu?subject= mailto:jnutefall%40scu.edu?subject= http://www.ala.org/acrl /resources/policies/chapter2 http://www.ala.org/acrl /resources/policies/chapter2 November 2017 535 C&RL News Academic Library Impact: Improving Practice and Essential Areas to Research ACRL recently released Academic Library Impact: Improving Practice and Essential Areas to Research. Developed for ACRL by OCLC Research, this valuable resource investi- gates how libraries can increase student learn- ing and success and effectively communicate their value to higher education stakeholders. Now more than ever, academic libraries are being asked to demonstrate value to their institutional stakeholders, funders, and gover- nance boards. Academic Library Impact builds on ACRL’s 2010 Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report and the results of the subsequent Assess- ment in Action program. It demonstrates how libraries are now measuring library contributions to student learning and success, and recommends where more research is needed in areas critical to the higher educa- tion sector, such as accredita- tion, student retention, and academic achievement. “Academic Library Im- pact captures the incredible strides made by the profes- sion in assessing and demonstrating the con- tributions of academic libraries to the academy, and creates a path for moving us into the future via new research avenues,” says ACRL Executive Director Mary Ellen K. Davis. This action-oriented research agenda includes: a report on all project phases and findings; a detailed research agenda based on those findings; a visualization component that filters relevant literature and creates graphics that can communicate library value to stakeholders; a bibliography of the literature analyzed; and a full bibliography of the works cited and reviewed. All components were produced in part- nership with OCLC Research and include analyses of library and information science (LIS) and higher education literature, focus group interviews and brainstorming ses- sions with academic library administrators at different institution types within the United States, and individual interviews with provosts. “OCLC is really pleased to collaborate with ACRL on such an important topic,” said Lorcan Dempsey, vice president of member- ship and research and OCLC chief strategist. “We hope this research agenda will help administrators as they examine the changing role of libraries and their collections in the lives of their students.” Building on established best practices and recent re- search, Academic Library Impact clearly identifies priority areas and suggests specific actions for academ- ic librarians and administra- tors to take in developing programs, collections, and spaces focused on student learning and success. It includes effective practices, calls out exemplary studies, and indicates where more inquiry is needed, with proposed research designs. It identifies the next generation of necessary research to continue to testify to library value. This new report is a significant milestone for ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries initiative and for the profession. The report is now available as a free PDF for download from the ACRL website at www. ala.org/acrl/files/publications/whitepapers /academiclib.pdf and for purchase in print through the ALA Store. A companion online tool, “Visualizing Academic Library Impact: The ACRL/OCLC Literature Analysis Dashboard” helps librarians and researchers filter the exist- ing literature for studies most relevant to their research interests and visually explore the literature and other data in the form of charts and graphs. The dashboard is available at http:// experimental.worldcat.org/valresearch. http://www.ala.org/acrl/files/publications/whitepapers/academiclib.pdf http://www.ala.org/acrl/files/publications/whitepapers/academiclib.pdf http://www.ala.org/acrl/files/publications/whitepapers/academiclib.pdf http://experimental.worldcat.org/valresearch http://experimental.worldcat.org/valresearch C&RL News November 2017 536 Now You’re a Manager: Quick and Practical Strategies for New Mid-Level Managers in Academic Libraries ACRL announces the publication of Now You’re a Manager: Quick and Practical Strategies for New Mid-Level Managers in Academic Librar- ies by M. Leslie Madden, Laura Carscaddon, Denita Hampton, and Brenna Helmstutler. With ten chapters covering everything from build- ing teams to creating a respectful workplace to managing university politics, Now You’re a Manager provides lists, exercises, and techniques for assem- bling and managing an effective, happy team. Many of us were never taught how to be managers before we began managing. Maybe you sought the position and inter- viewed for it, or maybe you were appointed to fill a need. Perhaps your long-term goal is upper-level library management, or maybe you’re happy where you are and aren’t sure how you’d like your career to progress. Whatever the case, this guide will provide you with quick, easy-to-implement tips and strategies for tackling the most common is- sues encountered by mid-level managers in an academic library: • Managing and Building Departments and Teams • Managing Diverse Departments • Creating a Respectful Workplace and Dealing with Problem Employees • Professional Development and Training • Mentoring and Coaching • Conducting Effective Meet- ings • Managing Between Library Administration and Your Em- ployees • Managing Library and Uni- versity Politics and Bureaucracy • Managing Change • Managing as a Team Now You’re a Manager is designed to meet the specific needs of new mid- level managers in academic libraries, and can be used for individual growth or group discussion, and by librarians and paraprofessionals who man- age teams and departments. Now You’re a Manager: Quick and Practical Strategies for New Mid-Level Managers in Aca- demic Libraries is available for purchase in print and as an ebook through the ALA Online Store, in print through Amazon.com, and by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the United States or (770) 442-8633 for international customers. October, thanks to a grant of fellowship funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Ser- vices (IMLS) Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. The fellowships, totaling $37,836 in DLF and IMLS funding, are part of a larger IMLS grant of $49,950 to promote collaboration between DLF and HBCU Library Alliance communities, subsidize a joint conference, and expand HBCU participation at two DLF signature events. The DLF Forum preconference, held October 22 in Pittsburgh, focused on digital libraries and library-based teaching as a common mission and common ground between liberal arts colleges or programs and HBCUs, and was followed by the annual DLF Forum. A list of DLF HBCU fel- lows is available at https://forum2017.diglib.org /about-fellowships/fellows/#HBCU. Notre Dame, North Carolina signs GPO Preservation Steward agreements The University of Notre Dame Kresge Law Library and the University Libraries at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill both recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Government Pub- lishing Office (GPO) to become Preserva- tion Steward libraries in GPO’s Federal In- https://forum2017.diglib.org/about-fellowships/fellows/#HBCU https://forum2017.diglib.org/about-fellowships/fellows/#HBCU November 2017 537 C&RL News formation Preservation Network. Under this agreement, libraries pledge to per- manently preserve print collection of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The CFR is the codification of general and permanent rules published in the Fed- eral Register by federal departments and agencies. To help federal depository libraries meet the needs of efficient government document stewardship in the digital era, GPO has established Preservation Stew- ards to support continued public access to historic U.S. government documents in print format. Preservation Stewards contribute significantly to the effort to preserve printed documents and GPO welcomes all federal depository libraries that wish to participate as Preservation Stewards. Greater Western Library Alliance issues information literacy impact study The Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA) recently shared the results of the study “The Impact of Information Literacy Instruction on Student Suc- cess: A Multi-Institutional Investigation and Analysis.” The GWLA Student Learning Outcomes task force analyzed the data from more than 42,000 first-time, first-year fresh- men and more than 1,700 distinct courses from 12 research institutions to determine the impact(s) of information literacy instruc- tion integrated into course curriculum on several student success measures. The full report is available on the GWLA website at www.gwla.org/. NMC releases Digital Literacy in Higher Education, Part II The New Media Consortium (NMC) has re- leased “Digital Literacy in Higher Education, Part II: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief,” a follow-up to its 2016 strategic brief on digital literacy. Commissioned by Adobe, this independent research builds upon the established baseline definitions of digital literacy from the 2016 brief, examining digi- tal literacy through a global and discipline- specific lens to reveal new contexts that are shaping the way learners create, discover, and critically assess digital content. While the first NMC strategic brief simplified definitions and made the complex topic acces- sible, this subsequent project was launched because the constantly evolving nature of digital literacy is reflected in a diversity of frameworks with varied outcomes both globally and across disciplines. The NMC’s research examines the current landscape of digital literacy frameworks to illuminate its multiple dimensions—techni- cal, psychological, and interpersonal—around which students’ ability to produce new content generates a sense of empowerment. The report is available on the NMC website at www.nmc. org/news/nmc-releases-second-horizon-project -strategic-brief-on-digital-literacy/. Tech Bits . . . Brought to you by the ACRL ULS Technology in University Libraries Committee Need to create your own database but don’t want to use Access? Excel just not quite cutting it? Try AirTable, a web-based and mobile application that allows you to create your own databases, for free, without the high learning curve. Create your own field types, collaborate with a team, link between tables, and even import data from another program. It can be used as a project management tool, to keep track of vendor or user data, or used to create inventories and catalogs. The free version allows for unlimited bases (spreadsheets), 2GB of data, and 1,200 records. Upgrades start at $10 per user per month. —Elizabeth M. Johns Johns Hopkins University . . . AirTable https://airtable.com http://www.gwla.org/ http://www.nmc.org/news/nmc-releases-second-horizon-project-strategic-brief-on-digital-literacy/ http://www.nmc.org/news/nmc-releases-second-horizon-project-strategic-brief-on-digital-literacy/ http://www.nmc.org/news/nmc-releases-second-horizon-project-strategic-brief-on-digital-literacy/ https://airtable.com