1. Libraries at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Libraries at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
Seeking an International Perspective
Maxine Schmidt
Head, Science and Engineering Library
University of Massachusetts Amherst

2. University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
History
UMass Amherst began in 1863 as a land-grant agricultural college, Massachusetts Agricultural College
In 1931, to reflect a broader curriculum, it was renamed Massachusetts State College
In 1947, “Mass State” became the University of Massachusetts at Amherst

3. University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
History

4. Overview 1,121 full-time instructional faculty
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Overview
1,121 full-time instructional faculty
21,812 undergraduate students
6,272 graduate students

5. Libraries at UMass Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Libraries at UMass Amherst
Image Collection Library
W.E.B. Du Bois Library
Music Reserve Lab
Science and Engineering Library

6. Libraries at UMass Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Libraries at UMass Amherst
Collections
East Asian Collection
Government Documents and Patents
Image Collection
InterNano
Law Collection
Maps
Media
Microforms
Music
Rudman Collection
Science and Engineering
Special Collections and University Archives

7. Libraries at UMass Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Libraries at UMass Amherst
Subscribe to more
than 300 databases
24 kilometers of shelving for nearly 7million books

8. Librarians at UMass Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Librarians at UMass Amherst
Agriculture and Sustainability
Staff
50 Librarians
Librarians have Masters’ Degrees in Library and Information Science
They are subject specialists, many with Ph.D. in their subject
83 Support Staff
Biology and Nursing
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
History
Plant Biology Soil Science

9. Librarians at UMass Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Librarians at UMass Amherst
What we do
Cataloging
Manage electronic resources
User services
Reference desk
Online assistance
Teach library skills
Teach information literacy

10. Libraries at UMass Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Libraries at UMass Amherst
Teaching Commons
Learning Commons

11. Libraries at UMass Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Libraries at UMass Amherst
Library services to students
Laptop lending
Interlibrary Loan
Five-College borrowing
RefWorks citation manager
Assistive Technologies
Wireless access campus-wide
Photocopiers, printers, scanners
Digital creation consultation services

12. Students and the UMass Libraries
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Students and the UMass Libraries
On the busiest days, 19,200 students use the Libraries
Most use the Libraries’ computers
They seek quiet space to study and places where they can work in groups
They also use the café

13. Students and the UMass Libraries
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Students and the UMass Libraries
Last year, there were 51,000 questions for the Reference Desk
There were 4,023,000 hits on the Libraries’ web page

14. International Students at the UMass Libraries
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
International Students at the UMass Libraries
This year there are more than International Students at UMass Amherst
Most from Asian countries
Most are graduate students
Most in the Sciences and Engineering

15. International Students at the UMass Libraries
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
International Students at the UMass Libraries
Differences from U.S. Students
International Students are
Heavy users of the Libraries
First in the library in the morning, and the last to leave
They use quiet study space and group study space
They use the library computers mostly for and web-surfing
They seldom ask librarians research questions, they mostly come with problems with access to resources
They use only resources mentioned by professors

16. International Students at the UMass Libraries
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
International Students at the UMass Libraries
Ways we think U.S. libraries are different from many Asian libraries
Open stacks
No limit on borrowing
Liberal Interlibrary Loan policies
Emphasis on user services
Are there other differences?

17. International Students at the UMass Libraries
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
International Students at the UMass Libraries
Here are some questions we have:
What do International Students expect from the Libraries?
How do they find out about new resources or different resources?
Where do they go for research help?
How can we help them use the Libraries to the best advantage?

18. International Students at the UMass Libraries
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
International Students at the UMass Libraries
An Online Library Guide for International Students

19. International Students at the UMass Libraries
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
International Students at the UMass Libraries
International Student Orientation
Introduction to the Libraries’ website
Introduction to the International Student Guide
A card from “Your Personal Librarian”

20. International Students at the UMass Libraries
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
International Students at the UMass Libraries
What we have planned:
Workshops
Advanced Research skills
Citation management
Special resources (Patents, Government documents, e.g.)
Doing a Comprehensive Literature Search
Thesis/dissertation writing
Translate some brochures and information sheets
We would like to create online video guides in different languages

21. International Students at the UMass Libraries
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
International Students at the UMass Libraries
Some questions we have:
How do students and researchers use Web 2.0?
How would students like to learn about the library? Face-to-face? Online? One-on-one or in a classroom?
What does information literacy look like here?

22. International Students at the UMass Libraries
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
International Students at the UMass Libraries
How can we reach these students?
Student groups (Chinese, Japanese, Korean student associations)
Other workshops?
Food!

23. University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Services to faculty
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
The Teaching Commons offers support for integrating technology and developing pedagogical skills
UMass Amherst Libraries
Center for Teaching & Faculty Development
Office of Information Technology Academic Computing

24. Services to teaching faculty
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Services to teaching faculty
In-class instruction
Offered as entire class session
Offered as menu. Examples:
Library 101 (20 min)
Developing a topic (10 min)
Distinguishing Between Popular and Scholarly Articles (20 min)
Evaluation of web information (30 min)
Specialized research databases (50 min)

25. Services to teaching faculty
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Services to teaching faculty
Assistance preparing assignments addressing information literacy
Faculty Writing Place
Plagiarism prevention tool
Assistance with copyright and fair use for instructional material
Faculty writing retreats

26. Services to research faculty
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Services to research faculty
Assistance with advanced research
Patents
Technical reports
Gray literature
Purchase books on request
Grant research and writing assistance (with the Office of Research Development)
Data management planning assistance

27. Services to research faculty
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Services to research faculty
Scholarly communication
Assistance with author’s rights (SHERPA/ROMEO)
ScholarWorks
Institutional repository
“Showcase” for faculty work
Allows the creation of online journals with peer-review
Conference proceedings of meetings held at UMass Amherst

28. Links University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
UMass Amherst Libraries webpage Guide to the Libraries ize.pdf International Students Guide Services for faculty Plagiarism prevention tool Scholarworks Teaching commons Learning Commons

29. Even more links! These are other topics you might be interested in:
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Even more links!
These are other topics you might be interested in:
Science Boot Camp for Librarians (4 years of camps)
eScience Portal for New England Librarians (but open to anyone to view)
Open Educational Resources (to reduce textbook expenses for students)

30. Maxine Schmidt