Evolving the MLA Way

In the Beginning… A Young Ex-Art Student with an MA in Art History and a newly minted MLS headed out into the world…. She had a good educational foundation and some experience working in libraries prior to her first ‘real’ library job.

The evolution continues…In Missouri

Her path winds a bit… From an art museum library To private high school library To community college library

All through the process of gathering experience, there hasn’t been much time for professional reading or activities… Now there are new challenges…

Sometimes what they tell you to expect in grad school and reality are often a little bit different…. So where do you turn? (particularly when you don’t have time to read the professional lit)

Assessment Supervisory Information Literacy Budget/Funding Facebook revolution Apps for that Millennials Copyright/Fair Use Privacy/Homeland Security Life-Long Learning Justify your existence!

 Survival of the fittest – what challenges to library existence are lurking? Advocacy at a local level/ALA advocacy  Assessment – How to measure effective instruction, LIBQUAL & AQIP, ALA standards  Instruction support – how can we improve? - Creating standards, Clickers  New technology – free and for a fee

 Library Security – Staying safe on a shoestring  Show me the Money – finances/grants  The legal side – hiring without getting fired  MOBIUS ain’t just a strip in physics textbook  Distance Learning – going the extra mile  Being Open (URL)  Join the Evolution! – MLA Membership

 Visual searching:

 Trendsmap: Allows me to track local twitter trends  Followupthen: reminders – works better for me than Outlook tasks  Dropbox: Allows me to link home and office computers and take my files anywhere

 Mindomo:

 Cynthia Dudenhoffer – If she’s presenting “Real Tools to Make You Look Cool,” Do Not Pass Go! Attend her session! The items she highlights are free and extremely useful.  Join a Division, a SIG, a committee and attend their meetings! Networking is a lifesaver in the long run. (MACRL is a great one if you are an academic librarian or think you want to be one. I should know…I’m the soon-to-be- Vice Chair.)

 Opportunities to work with area schools: Transforming the Student Experience of Research from High School to Higher Ed  Qualtics, survey free survey software  Serving Mobile Users – information on how to use apps to provide students with essential info – hours, textbook availability, library chat

Marty Miller Reference Librarian MCC-Longview