March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services1 Collaborating to Provide Experienced-based Learning ALAO Technical Services Interest Group Spring Workshop March 4, 2005, KSU Margaret Maurer Assistant Professor, Catalog and Metadata Librarian Kent State University

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services2 Collaborating since 1999 Shared responsibilities Need for practical application of what is taught in the classroom SLIS and LMS Collaboration

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services3 Context for the Collaboration Practical education for librarianship Availability of courses in technical services and cataloging Forces shaping curriculum development for library schools Impact of temporary workers in technical services Changing nature of technical services Other economic factors

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services4 Practical education for librarianship A role for training Requiring practical experiences prior to graduation in other professions Some skills are more easily learned in the context of the library Practica typically are limited in time

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services5 Impact of temporary workers in technical services Time spent orienting and training must be balanced by real benefits The library must structure the student experiences to maximize the benefits for both the library and the student.

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services6 Other economic factors Financial support for libraries in Ohio is declining, and must be defended The misguided notion that all cataloging can be outsourced Impending retirement boom for technical services librarians Lack of redundancy in cataloging departments Fewer “junior” cataloging positions (the 2 year gap)

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services7 Ohio TS Labor Force Survey – Preliminary Results There will continue to be openings There is a need for the continuing education of technical services and cataloging librarians Candidate pools are perceived as smaller and less qualified

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services8 More Preliminary Results 6% of the respondents have conducted a TS search with no qualified candidates Labor Force will be stable over the next 5 years As of yet, few TS librarians have the word “metadata” in their job title or description

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services9 Forces shaping curriculum development for library schools Research orientation Course loads in library schools Teaching information science Increasing complexity in cataloging itself 2 years experience

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services10 Availability of courses in technical services and cataloging Fewer cataloging classes offered Hands-on practice in library school Re-integration of library schools and libraries

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services11 SLIS / LMS Collaborations Collaboration through Student Workers Graduate Student Assistants Practicum Students Volunteers Curriculum Collaborations Additional Collaborations

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services12 Graduate Student Assistants The hiring process should be as professional as possible Assess departmental needs before you hire Don’t just use generic job requirements Interview responsibly

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services13 Graduate Student Assistants Provide them with the tools to do the job Provide an orientation At severance, schedule an exit interview

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services14 Practicum Students If GSAs are temporary employees, then practicum students are very-temporary employees The best practicum experiences happen when a good match is made between the needs and expectations of the student and the needs of the library

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services15 Practicum Students Cycle students through the same training materials, one after another. Maintain a stable of projects Provide necessary resources

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services16 Collection Management Practicum Student Checklist Preplanning for program improvement Recruitment tasks Selection processes Equipment, software and workspace needs Orientation materials Expectations and methods of assessment Training needs Supervision, and The student’s professional experience assessment

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services17 Practicum Program Students Have … Cataloged Assisted with authority control Written collection development policies Copy-cataloged gift books Reviewed license agreements

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services18 Student Reactions to the Program “When I started I was a raw well-educated, well-meaning rookie.. Now I feel like a librarian.”

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services19 Learning & Assessment Students learn new skills Students create a portfolio of original work Students are evaluated Students evaluate the program

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services20 Volunteers (Students and Post-Graduate) Be professional about attracting and retaining volunteers Follow the same work rules for volunteers as you do for employees.

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services21 Curriculum Collaborations Yes they can tour your work area – there are ways to minimize disruptions. Presentations in SLIS classes Attracting future library professionals Adjunct faculty

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services22 Other Collaborations Professional publications Collegial relationships Other adjunct instructors

Practical experience at assessment LMS Faculty as SLIS adjunct faculty Presentations by LMS Faculty in SLIS classes Tours of technical services by SLIS classes Relationship between SLIS library representative and library liaison Students develop professional references and form the beginning of their professional network Research, publications, and conference presentations Cooperative attitude at upper levels of management Potential staff recruitment Graduate student assistants Student volunteers Practicum projects ReceivesGivesReceivesGives SLIS ACTIVITY LMS

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services24 ALCTS CETRC Mentoring Program Education, Training, and Recruitment for Cataloging (CETRC), ALCTS Cataloging and Classification Section

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services25 Forthcoming article: Maurer, Margaret Beecher and Wicks, Don A. “Collaboration in Collection Management: A Convergence of Education & Practice.” Resource Sharing & Information Networks. 17(1/2). Projected publication date is 2005.

March 4, 2005 ALAO Technical Services26 Contact information Margaret Maurer, MLS Assistant Professor, Catalog & Metadata Librarian Kent State University Libraries and Media Services 370 Library, P.O. Box 5190 Kent, OH