Session #4: Developments in Information Organization (Great Room )

Moderator: Dr. Sue Yeon Syn, Catholic University of America

Unifying Compound Tags, by Sue Yeon Syn, Department of Library and Information Science, Catholic University of America

One of the challenges in using and analyzing social tags is to deal with the long tail of the tag distribution. The long tail includes personal tags, idiosyncratic tags, compound tags, and tag noise with user input errors. This study is motivated by the fact that a good portion of tag distribution includes compound tags. It tests an algorithm to process various compound tag forms into a uniform structure. It presents the impacts of the tag uniformity process, the potential of better use of social tags by reducing tag noise and shortening the long tail of the tag distribution. It is also expected that the uniformity process will enhance the effectiveness of the measurements for tag use such as tag frequency. The results demonstrate that unification of compound tags can successfully shorten the long tail and make the tag frequency precise as a measurement. The benefits and limitations as well as potential implications of the tag uniformity process for tag analysis and use are discussed.

To Boldly Go: Cataloging Digital Images In A Non-Library Setting, by Sherry Kish and Eugene Dickerson, Ralph J. Bunche Library, U.S. Dept. of State; and Jennifer Froetschel, Obtrek, Inc.

It began with a simple conversation in a highly unlikely place: Civil Service Orientation within a federal agency. It wound up being a very successful and fruitful collaboration across Bureaus. Diplomatic Security, Public Affairs (DSPA) of the U.S. Department of State, had been looking for a way to capture and organize generations’ worth of photographs. They had been prepared to spend thousands of dollars to find an adequate solution -- not realizing that the expertise they needed was sitting across the river at the Main State Department building. Because of the limitations imposed for network security of Department of State computer systems, traditional Digital Asset Management Systems were not a feasible solution. The Ralph Bunche Library at State offered a solution to use their integrated library system and their knowledge of metadata and organization to create program that would ultimately embed a librarian in the DSPA office to organize, catalog, and advise on retention policy and other matters. The collaboration provided unforeseen benefits of having an embedded librarian as well as strengthening the relationship between the Bunche Library and DSPA.

Session #5: New Roles for School Library Media Specialists (Great Room B)

Moderator: Dr. Sung Un Kim, Catholic University of America

Altering Perceptions: Influential Advocacy Practices of School Librarians, by Elizabeth Burns, Old Dominion University

The number of school librarians has declined nationally in recent years. Because of the trend in position elimination, it is critical that school librarians know the benefits of advocating for their program and how to be considered vital to student learning by all stakeholders. However, there is little research available about advocacy practice. Furthermore, though the term advocacy is widely used, rarely does it carry the same connotation. Effective advocacy goes beyond simple program promotion, requiring deliberate, consistent relationship-building efforts. This study explores how the advocacy activities of practicing school librarians influence the perceptions of the school library program. The activities and practices of advocacy are defined within the library program of six practicing school librarians using qualitative methodology. Findings offer insight into what advocacy strategies school librarians are using in practice that are beneficial in shifting the perception of school libraries among stakeholders in their setting. These will in turn help guide advocacy initiatives to change perception among all decision makers.

Collaboration between the Media Center and the Life Skills Class: Extending the Benefits of Social Stories through Personalized Ebook Libraries, by Timothy Steelman and Sarah Desrosiers, Theodore G. Davis Middle School

Through financial support of a Maryland Society for Educational Technology grant, students with severe developmental disabilities were provided with tablet devices that contained in-house written eBooks personalized to support their achieving understanding and application of expected behaviors in school and in the wider society. The content of the eBooks also provided support for their communications with peer students, their teachers, and their families. This combination of tools and content demonstrates the key descriptors of 21st Century learners - collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem solving. Referred to as social stories, the provided eBooks were brief, personalized stories that offered focused instruction appropriate responses and actions using specific text, images, videos and animation. Social stories provided focused descriptions of what people do, why they do it and common responses to specific situations. The use of eBooks provided opportunity to include video and animation to reinforce the text and static images.

Reading Diversely: Serving Our Multicultural Teens and Tweens, by Sonali Kumar, Washington International School; and ReAnna Laney, St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School

Our schools are full of multicultural families but most Middle Grade and YA titles show a monocultural world. As educators, we have a responsibility to teach and present diverse titles -- sharing books across genres featuring characters of different ethnicities, nationalities, genders, orientations, religions, and abilities – but we sometimes face reluctance and inexperience from colleagues about books that reflect our readers and encourages them to experience a wider world. This interactive program includes tools for professional development, criteria for diverse collections, strategies for proposing changes to your curriculum and diverse titles teens love.

Session #6: Emerging Topics in Law Librarianship (Rooms 321-323)

Moderator: Dr. Renate Chancellor, Catholic University of America

Evolution of Training at DOJ Libraries, by Kera Winburn and Mariana Long, U.S. Department of Justice

This session will explore the evolution of training at DOJ Libraries, including the transition from in-person to hands-on to remote training. We will discuss the effects of the budget and technology on what we are able to do and how we anticipate the needs of our patrons by developing new courses like the Bluebooking and CLE Series. Marketing library services via training also will be covered.

Innovations in Legal Research: Using Libguides to Find the Law, by Renate Chancellor, Rachel Englander, Melissa Morgan, Jasmine Chmiel, and Ariana Pike, Catholic University of America

LibGuides cover broad subject areas and provide quick access to research sources and strategies. Designed to fit a diversity of legal topics, Libguides can be embedded with multimedia content, and can help lead users to all types of helpful resources beyond traditional pathfinders or legal bibliographies. Approximately 64 of 200 American Bar Association-approved law schools show up in the Libguides Community site for law, as of 2013. As this tool becomes more prevalent and known for its ease of use, it’s likely that it will be utilized in other legal environments. This session will showcase the Libguides of students who took the Legal Literature course in Fall 2014. Following a discussion on innovative practices of Libguides as an instructional tool, each student will present their libguide. Topics include: CIPA, Privacy in the United Kingdom, The National Security Agency and Intellectual Property Law.