Ball State University Libraries Host Statewide Resource Sharing Conference

On August 29, 2007, librarians from around the state met at Bracken Library to participate in Discovery to Delivery: Good to Great Resource Sharing in Indiana.

The conference, attended by 80 librarians, was jointly sponsored by the Indiana State Library, INCOLSA, the Academic Libraries of Indiana (ALI), and OCLC with Collette Mak, INCOLSA Director of Library Products, serving as the conference coordinator. Suzanne S. Rice, Ball State University Libraries’ Assistant Dean for Public Services, coordinated local arrangements.

Douglas F. Hasty, Professor, Head of Access Services Department, Florida International University was the keynote speaker. His address “Rethinking Customer Services” focused on applying Fourth Generation Management principles to library settings. James R. Corridan, associate director from the Indiana State Library, provided an update on resource sharing initiatives and gathered feedback from participants about recent changes in the library-to-library courier system.

Cathy DeRosa, vice president for the Americas and global vice president of marketing for OCLC, discussed issues of privacy and security related to online user behaviors and implications for resource sharing. Elizabeth McKinney de Garcia, PINES Program Manager, visited from Georgia to introduce their consortium that joins 46 Georgia public library systems.

Afternoon breakout sessions included sessions that focused on a range of topics designed to meet the interests of practitioners and administrators, including:

- Library experiences in changing to use new technologies – Cathy DeRosa, OCLC
- Overview of current automated delivery aids – Collette Mak, INCOLSA
- Issues in home delivery and distance education students – Suzanne S. Rice, Ball State University Libraries
- Implementing improvements in delivery – Robert V. Roethemeyer, Concordia Theological Seminary
- Delivery innovations – Suzanne Ward, Libraries of Purdue University

Survey responses indicated participants were highly satisfied with the day, and they expressed interest for more such gatherings in the future.

The Ball State University Libraries were pleased to host this conference and look forward to additional opportunities to serve as a gathering point for innovative discussions among library professionals.

To see a photo gallery from the Conference, click on www.bsu.edu/library/conference/resourcesharing/photos.
For more information, contact Suzanne S. Rice, Ball State University Libraries’ Assistant Dean for Public Services, SRice@bsu.edu, (765) 285-1305.