Cardinal Scholar Repository: Opening Ball State Scholarship to the World

Open access (OA) publishing is an emergent model of scholarly communication, which promotes the free, online availability of information. In February 2007, the University Libraries launched Cardinal Scholar (www.bsu.edu/cardinalscholar), Ball State’s institutional repository, establishing an OA digital archive for the deposit of intellectual capital developed at Ball State University and made available to a worldwide, Internet audience.

While Cardinal Scholar has experienced steady content growth, the adoption of an institution-wide Open Access Mandate could serve as a major catalyst in the expansion of the repository’s potential to be an integral element of the University’s research publishing distribution strategy and increase the reach and impact of the university’s scholarly product.

Open Access initiatives primarily respond to the growing scholarly communications crisis created by static resource budgets and exorbitant price increases imposed by journal publishers. Open Access mandates are a logical correlative of the OA journal model and have been implemented at several leading research universities including Stanford, Kansas, MIT, and Harvard. The implementation of an OA policy at Ball State University would offer our researchers a vehicle for increasing the discoverability and exposure of their publications through the Cardinal Scholar portal.

OA mandates do not impact an author’s ability to publish where s/he chooses, and the author retains all rights to his or her work. The OA policy serves as a pre-existing institutional license to make the article available to a worldwide audience and does not conflict with a publisher’s copyright requirements, protecting both the institution and the author from liability. Extant OA policies also include “opt out” provisions for faculty who may encounter extenuating requirements by a publisher.

Currently, discussions about a BSU Open Access mandate are occurring in appropriate University Senate committees. With the guidance of university administration and faculty stakeholders, the establishment of an OA policy at Ball State, coupled with the robust infrastructural capacity of Cardinal Scholar, represents an unprecedented opportunity for Ball State University to share the valuable intellectual capital of our distinguished faculty researchers, promoting scholarly exchange, collective innovation, and dynamic knowledge synthesis.

Through the aggregation and branding of our outstanding institutional contributions in scholarship and creative work through Cardinal Scholar, an Open Access mandate allows us to demonstrate and emphasize our distinctive and immersive model for teaching, learning, and collaboration, reaching well beyond the brick-and-mortar boundaries of our campus or the borders of our location to maximize the broader impact and inestimable potential and influence of Ball State University well into the future.

University Libraries Utilize Facebook: Promoting Programs, Collections, and Services

The University Libraries have recently revised their strategy for utilizing Facebook. Previously, Libraries staff updated the account periodically with photos and selected articles from the Library Insider, which were posted as photos. Beginning in December 2009, the Libraries began to keep the account more current and stepped up active promotion of the account in order to reach students, faculty, and other University Libraries fans.

The Ball State University Libraries’ Facebook account is ballstatelibraries. Anyone interested in following the Libraries can go to www.facebook.com/ballstatelibraries instead of having to search within Facebook.

Katie M. Bohnert, Marketing and Communications Manager, took on the task of regularly posting fresh and timely content to the Libraries’ Facebook account. New items and services, current and upcoming exhibits, workshops and instructional sessions have all been highlighted on the Libraries’ Facebook account. There are also reminders and links to timely services, such as reserving study rooms, checking print balances online, and employing wireless printing services. Katie also began posting selected Library Insider newsletter articles as notes instead of images, which makes the text searchable and more likely to be indexed by search engines such as Google.

Facebook also proved to be a valuable tool for communicating with students and faculty in December 2009, when the University’s Web site experienced a brief campus-wide interruption. The Libraries were able to share with our Facebook fans the direct links to unaffected resources, such as CardCat, Articles and Databases, E-Journals, and the Digital Media Repository. When service was restored, another posting alerted fans that the problem had been resolved and thanked them for their patience.

Future possibilities for the ballstatelibraries Facebook account include promotion of musical and theatrical previews in Bracken Library, taking advantage of the photo and video sharing capabilities native to Facebook, and using the Facebook Markup Language (FBML) to provide a way to search the online catalog, CardCat, as well as Articles and Databases from within Facebook, which would be especially helpful for those using mobile devices.

If you are a Facebook user and would like to be a fan of the University Libraries, join us at www.facebook.com/ballstatelibraries.

Ball State University Libraries Offer New User Experiences in Second Life

Bracken Library now exists virtually as well as being a brick-and-mortar facility. The University Libraries’ collaboration with the Center for Middletown Studies and the Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts and Animation has resulted in the creation of Bracken Library in the virtual world of Second Life. Within this virtual world, archivists, historians, and virtual world modelers created the Middletown Studies Library and Archives.

Second Life is an online three-dimensional virtual world where users or “residents” use avatars to interact with one another. Ball State University Libraries Archivists Maren L. Read and Carolyn F. Runyon offer virtual reference services three times a week to support “in-world” researchers.

To chat with Em Ziplon, a.k.a. Archivist for Manuscript Collections Maren Read, visit Bracken Library in Second Life on Mondays and Fridays, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

To chat with Carolyn Runyon, a.k.a. Archivist for Digital Development and University Records, visit Bracken Library in Second Life on Tuesdays, 8 a.m. – 11 a.m.

The Middletown Studies Collection Library and Archives features exhibits displaying the unique resources available from Ball State University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections. Based on Robert and Helen Lynd’s sociological study of Muncie, Indiana, conducted in the 1920s, the exhibit features materials that revisit the six areas of life and culture studied by the Lynds:

1. Getting a Living
2. Making a Home
3. Training the Young
4. Using Leisure
5. Engaging in Religious Practices
6. Engaging in Community Activities

Materials exhibited include excerpts from oral histories and photographs, many of which are available from the Digital Media Repository, which is a digital resource available from the University Libraries at http://libx.bsu.edu. Additionally, the collection features the Bracken Library Theater that will play film footage available from Archives and Special Collections, including The Man Haters, a silent movie produced in Muncie, Indiana in 1915.

The new resources and services available from the Middletown Studies Collection Library and Archives in Second Life have been made possible through an Innovative Library Program Grant awarded to the Ball State University Libraries for 2008-2009. This grant is part of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), which is administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Indiana State Library.

For more information, contact Maren L. Read, Archivist for Manuscript Collections, or Carolyn F. Runyon, Archivist for Digital Development and University Records, libarchives@bsu.edu, 765-285-5078.

Grant-Supported Projects Build Digital Resources for Learning, Teaching, and Research

The Ball State University Libraries have received several Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) digitization grants over the past five years to develop digital resources to support the academic pursuits of Ball State students and faculty. These grants have made it possible for the Libraries to provide 24/7 access to rich research materials for the citizens of Muncie, the state of Indiana, and scholars around the world.

As a result of the current LSTA digitization grant, the University Libraries have acquired a BookDrive DIY scanner that is being used to digitize deteriorating minute books of women’s organizations and diaries of local women as part of the Middletown Women’s History Digital Collection project.

This high performance book scanning platform allows personnel to scan the fragile pages of the volumes in a safe manner that protects the historical documents and provides a high quality digital image.

The scanner is like a double copy stand with two digital cameras set at 90 degree angles so that books can be photographed in a cradle rather than laid flat like they would be with a traditional flatbed scanner. This “cradling” protects the spines of fragile books by putting less stress on them.

Ball State University’s Institutional Repository Promotes the University’s Intellectual Capital

Cardinal Scholar, Ball State University’s institutional repository, serves as a digital drop box for students, faculty, and staff to preserve their scholarly achievements. In keeping with the entrepreneurial spirit on which Ball State is founded, Cardinal Scholar also strives to highlight the intellectual capital generated by student and faculty researchers. By documenting the official and business-related output of Ball State administrators, the repository also serves an important collection development function by capturing the institutional history and memory of the University.

The addition of presentations, data sets, papers, compositions, performances, and exhibits from the campus community fosters a unique environment for idea exchange and publication distribution. Additionally, Cardinal Scholar creates a digital space for administrators to preserve and provide access to electronic records such as technical reports, documentation, meeting minutes, annual reports, and manuals.

Students and faculty benefit from Cardinal Scholar in the following ways:

• The repository provides a persistent URL to deposited items, providing a stable link for everything from electronic portfolios to Web browser book marks.
• Cardinal Scholar is an easy way for depositors to document and historicize their intellectual or administrative contributions to Ball State University in a secure electronic environment that is committed to a digital preservation schedule.
• As Ball State University’s institutional repository is indexed by Google and other search engines, researchers outside of the University are able to find and access materials deposited in Cardinal Scholar.

Premiering in January 2008, Cardinal Scholar now contains over 150 deposits. To promote and increase the use of Cardinal Scholar, the University Libraries are embarking on a campaign to promote the institutional repository to student groups, administrators, and faculty around campus. The University Libraries offer one-on-one and group instruction sessions and consultations for Cardinal Scholar.

To learn more, contact Carolyn F. Runyon, Archivist for Digital Development and University Records, CFRunyon@bsu.edu, 765-285-5078.

Library Participates in Welcome Week

The week prior to the start of fall semester is an exciting time when students move in, buy books, meet new friends, and scope out the quickest route to classes. At Ball State, this time is also known as Welcome Week and is chock full of activities designed to help newcomers settle in and become better acquainted with their peers and life on a university campus.

The University Libraries’ personnel recognize this as an excellent time to introduce freshmen, transfer students, and new graduate students to the many library and informational resources and services available to support academic pursuits. During this time, many of the University Libraries’ personnel actively met students in a variety ways:

Creating a “Welcome Week” display in the lobby of Bracken Library with a variety of the Libraries’ eye-catching brochures, including a Top 10 Things You Should Know About the University Libraries list

Conducting drop-in mini-workshops about the libraries' resources and services

Presenting an overview of relevant services and collections at the Graduate Student Development Conference and staffing an information booth at the graduate student resources fair

Holding an orientation session for new and returning graduate assistants and others associated with the English Department’s Writing Program

Meeting with international students for an orientation and tour of Bracken Library and related services

Hosting a laptop clinic to introduce library information technology programs and services while also providing assistance installing the University’s Symantec Antivirus client and Microsoft Office 2007 applications

Participating as book discussion group leaders for the Freshman Connections Common Reader program.

The Libraries’ outreach and instruction continue throughout the semester in a variety of formats, including sessions tailored to meet the individual needs of academic classes.

Dr. Luchen Li Receives Ditsky Award for Steinbeck Research at Ball State University Libraries

Through the generosity of donors, the Ball State University Libraries provide opportunities for students and scholars to advance their education and research. An outstanding example is the Steinbeck Research Fund in Honor of Dr. John M. Ditsky that was established by his wife, Mrs. C. Suzette Ditsky of Detroit, Michigan.

Dr. Luchen Li is this year’s recipient of the Ditsky Award. He will visit the University Libraries during the week of September 29 through October 3, 2008 to conduct intensive research on Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck, using the Steinbeck Collection in the Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections.

Dr. Li is Associate Professor of Humanities and Communication and Director of the Office of International Programs at Kettering University, Flint, Michigan. He has authored numerous Steinbeck-related publications, including A Critical Companion to John Steinbeck (co-authored with Geoffrey Schutz) and John Steinbeck: A Documentary Volume. He serves as Vice President of the International Programs for the John Steinbeck Society of America.

The topic of Dr. Li’s research is the ethical dimensions of John Steinbeck’s world. Examining Steinbeck’s works, he will focus on the author’s personal ethics and societal ethics concerning business, war, politics, and ethnicity. He will research how Steinbeck offers “a unique set of moral discourses – novels, novelettes, short stories, plays, scripts, and essays – that have helped define much of our own American ethics while providing contemporary insight for negotiating our moral responsibilities to our own fellow human beings, society, and environment.”

The Steinbeck Research Fund established by Mrs. Ditsky in honor of her late husband is intended to assist and encourage emerging Steinbeck visiting scholars and/or doctoral candidates in conducting research in Ball State University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections on an appropriate topic related to author John Steinbeck.

Dr. John Michael Ditsky (March 9, 1938 – May 15, 2006) was Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He was a world-renowned Steinbeck scholar, Vice President of the International Steinbeck Society, President of the New Steinbeck Society of America, a poet and poetry editor, a music critic, and Chair of the Editorial Board of the Steinbeck Quarterly.

Dr. and Mrs. Ditsky were long-time friends and colleagues of noted Steinbeck scholar and Ball State University professor Dr. Tetsumaro Hayashi who was instrumental in establishing the outstanding Steinbeck Collection in the University Libraries. Mrs. Ditsky recently donated her husband’s papers and books to Archives and Special Collections to augment and strengthen the Steinbeck Collection.

Ball State Libraries Reap Benefits from Consortia Participation

The University Libraries are committed to developing exceptional collections of rich scholarly resources and to offering excellent services that support the teaching, learning, and research of our students and faculty at Ball State University. In pursuit of this goal, the University Libraries have established advantageous relationships with a number of library consortia. These alliances help to strengthen and support the Libraries by positioning us to better facilitate and accomplish our strategic plan.

Library consortia typically are cooperative partnerships that facilitate cost-effective services, create and support educational and professional development, facilitate collaboration between and among members, and provide significant subscription savings through pooled purchases, which increase buying power, maximize mutual benefits, and minimize institutional risks.

The University Libraries participate in several consortia:
1. Academic Libraries of Indiana (ALI) consists of 71 undergraduate, medical, law, theological, and research libraries in the State of Indiana. Its mission is “… to enhance and enrich access to the full range of information resources and services required to improve the quality of teaching, learning, research, and engagement in Indiana’s colleges, universities, and seminaries through collaboration, research sharing, and advocacy.”
Members offer free reciprocal borrowing and in-library use for students and faculty among themselves.
Members can receive significant discounts on database subscriptions through ALI’s e-resource licensing program for consortia through SOLINET.

2. Amigos Library Services (AMIGOS) is a network of over 800 libraries and cultural heritage centers that began in the southwestern United States and partners with academic libraries nationwide.
The Ball State University Libraries hold a general membership, providing substantial discounts for several current subscription databases, to take advantage of the Member Discount Program.
AMIGOS provides shared training resources, shared library materials among participating members, and shared purchasing power.

3. Indiana Cooperative Library Services Authority (INCOLSA) is an Indiana statewide network.

In October 2008, INCOLSA will form a partnership with the Michigan Library Consortium (MLC) to offer discounts from over 55 vendors and publishers.
INCOLSA provides many professional development workshop opportunities for Indiana Libraries.

4. OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a not-for-profit membership cooperative that includes more than 69,000 libraries in 112 countries and territories worldwide.
Connexion is a Web browser-based cataloging utility that allows the University Libraries’ catalogers to download and edit records from OCLC’s vast database, minimizing the need for extensive, labor-intensive, and costly original cataloging.
WorldCat – Access to the union catalog, which contains all records cataloged by OCLC member libraries. This allows the University Libraries to share their records with the entire OCLC network and facilitates resource sharing and interlibrary loan services through reciprocal borrowing.

5. Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET) is a not-for-profit library cooperative of more than 3,400 members. All Indiana libraries are group affiliate members, thanks to the vision and leadership of the Indiana State Library. The membership provides a “…wide range of exemplary benefits, including accessing cost-effective programs and services at deep discounts, increasing our buying power for digital and other informational resources, being able to attend SOLINET’s nationally recognized classes for training and professional development, as well as the potential to participate in the SOLINE interlibrary loan network.”

The Ball State University Libraries have realized tangible, favorable outcomes through these relationships, which continue to expand our ability to offer our students and faculty a wide array of resources and services that facilitate knowledge discovery, locally and globally.

University Libraries Host Indiana SirsiDynix Users

Bracken Library was the gathering point for nearly 40 library staff from around the state on July 25, 2008. The day was filled with presentations by SirsiDynix representatives and members of the user community who use the Symphony and Unicorn integrated library systems (ILS) provided by SirsiDynix Corporation.

There were special interest group discussion sessions centered on specific ILS modules also. User presentations focused on topics such as text messaging catalog search results, managing holds and recalls with Demand Management, implementing patron self-checkout, and using label printing tools.

The day was an opportunity for fellow system users to network and learn about innovative ways to use the system.

Lisa J. Jarrell, Information Services at Ball State University Libraries, attended Peter Konshak’s session on text messaging and said, “I see some students storing call numbers in their phones rather than writing them down. This makes me think students would really love this idea.”

Michael W. Twigg, Acquisitions Services at Ball State University Libraries, said the Cataloging Round Table session was interesting as he learned more about open source developments and some problem-solving approaches.

The Indiana SirsiDynix Users Group was formed in 2003 to provide a common forum for users in the state. This is the first year for Ball State University Libraries to host the annual conference. In hosting the event, there were two objectives: to help the organization by providing a centrally-located conference site and to showcase our campus and state-of-the-art library facilities.

Attendees from other libraries were duly impressed with Bracken Library, the campus, and presenters. Presenters such as Peter Konshak and Lisa Dick from Carmel Clay Public Library, Carmel, Indiana, expressed delight with Bracken Library’s presentation rooms and equipment.

Next year’s conference is tentatively planned to take place at the Wells County Public Library in Bluffton, Indiana.

Ball State University Libraries' Emerging Media Technologies

The landscape of educational technology is constantly and quickly evolving, and the University Libraries are fully invested in adapting to the fast-paced emergence of new media in order to provide our students and faculty with state-of-the-art information channels into the rich resources and products provided and produced by the University Libraries.

As the information hub of the university, the Libraries are continually re-imagining our services and collections to discover new ways to serve as the integrated information nexus for teaching, learning, and research in a future that demands a robust, physical library with relevant collections, user-centered services, and cutting-edge technologies as well as a widely-accessible library without walls available 24/7/365 from virtual worlds, online classrooms, and computer desktops.

The University Libraries have maximized a number of emerging media formats and technologies designed to increase student and faculty opportunities for knowledge discovery, synthesis, and creation:

· Second Life — The Libraries are working in partnership with the Center for Middletown Studies to create virtual archives of text, photographs, audio, and video to be made available in Second Life. Ball State University is establishing a more substantive presence in Second Life, and the University Libraries continue to develop content and services for the expanded user population in the virtual world.
· Blogs/RSS Feeds — The Libraries currently maintain nine blogs/RSS feed publications designed to inform students and faculty about collections, services, and library programs.
· Intensive Multimedia Computing — The Libraries have installed a pod of high-performance PC and Mac stations that are equipped with specialized features and software applications for data analysis, gaming, video editing, and animation rendering. Software includes Adobe Production Premium Creative Suite 3, Adobe Design Premium Creative Suite 3, and Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 8.0, and more.
· e-Books — The Libraries provide access to over 10,000 electronic books, including hundreds of reference titles.
· e-Journals — The Libraries provide access to over 13,258 full-text e-journals and their archives, and nearly 200 academic databases; almost all of these resources are accessible from off-campus, too.
· Mobile Library Project — The Libraries developed and support an icon-based Web site for mobile devices such as BlackBerry and other small screen smart devices that allow users to search the Libraries’ catalog and access electronic journal content.
· Online Communities/Social Networking — The Libraries maintain profiles in Facebook and MySpace, providing updated blogs as well as links to the Libraries’ services, online tutorials, subject guides, and more.
· Video Audio Streaming — The Libraries offer video and audio streaming of several collections in the Digital Media Repository (DMR), including World War II films and Middletown oral histories. An upcoming project with the University’s Teleplex Services will include the addition of thousands of streaming videos to the DMR.
· Wireless Internet Access — Building on the University’s extensive wireless infrastructure, the Libraries offer free wireless printing as a corollary service for students and faculty.
· Interactive Tutorials — The Libraries’ Informational Services unit offers a number of interactive tutorials on library collections, services, databases, and technologies.

The University Libraries’ mission is to serve as a destination for research, learning, and friends. An essential part of fulfilling this objective is for the Libraries to provide a range of technologies through the adaptation and integration of new and evolving forms of multimedia communication and information dissemination.

For more information, contact Matthew C. Shaw, Ball State University Libraries’ Electronic Resources Librarian, MCShaw2@bsu.edu, 765-285-1302.

Goals for Ball State University Libraries' Digital Initiative

As the availability of digital content grows and expectations of the users of digital resources increase, the need for careful planning for the growth and development of the University Libraries’ digital initiatives is vital.

It is incumbent upon librarians, archivists, and information technology specialists involved in developing the digital future, or the Next Generation Digital, to build on achievements, continue current projects, and prepare strategies for accomplishing new and expanded initiatives.

The University Libraries’ digital initiative goals include:

· Providing global access to an ever-widening range of digital resources to enhance and enrich learning, teaching, and research
· Increasing the number and range of digital resources available for Ball State students and faculty
· Creating signature digital collections to meet the diverse needs and expectations of the Ball State community and scholars around the world
· Promoting and supporting the scholarly use of digital content by Ball State students and faculty

Libraries’ Current and Continuing Initiatives

Already, the University Libraries have come a long way in developing the digital resources to support these goals. Examples of current and continuing digital initiatives include:

· Cardinal Scholar: institutional repository to support the University’s research and publication distribution strategies by making faculty and student intellectual property globally accessible and searchable via the Internet
· Conferences: focusing on various aspects of digital activities, CONTENTdm, and initiatives dealing with issues relative to specific types of digital content (audio, video, newspapers, etc.)
· Digital Commons: providing access to thousands of digital resources, including signature collections of other institutions, videos, e-journals, Web sites, and other assets via the Internet
· Digital Media Repository: over 102,000 digital objects now accessible to support teaching, learning, and research
· Digitization Center and Mobile Digitization Unit: digital processing area and mobile digital equipment to allow off-site digitizing of materials from partner institutions
· e-Archives: providing access to the University’s records
· Grant-Funded Projects: Three Library Services and Technology Act digitization grants have been received; two LSTA grant applications have been sent out for this year; Institute of Museum and Library Services grant pending.
· Publications and Professional Outreach: articles in a forthcoming book on Digital Scholarship; conference presentations and papers on digital topics by University Libraries’ personnel
· University Libraries’ Second Life Project: ongoing development of Middletown Digital Library and Archives and a virtual interactive Middletown (Muncie) in the 1920s
· Virtual Press: digital online publishing of Ball State products by students, faculty, alumni, and others
· Workshops for librarians, archivists, and other information professionals on digital management topics

Exciting Future Directions for the Digital Initiatives

Plans for the future development of the University Libraries’ digital initiatives will include the expansion of these important activities. Future directions include development in the following areas:

· 3D Modeling and Data Capture: Second Life project; What Middletown Read project; 3D modeling to support instruction, simulation, and educational gaming
· Data Acquisition Technologies: expanding Cardinal Scholar as a data acquisition tool
· Development of Digital Media for Comodification of Cultural Heritage: transformation of cultural heritage artifacts into an educational commodity through digitization; packaging analog information and traditional paper-based documentation in digital format as a potential revenue generator
· Digital Visual and Oral History Project: expansion of this signature program for the University Libraries’ Digital Initiatives
· e-Learning Using Resources of the Digital Media Repository: online tutorials, lesson plans, workshops and other outreach activities to align digital resources with curriculum, academic disciplines, instruction, and classroom use
· Multimedia, Data Management and Archiving: acquisition and management of digital video in the Digital Media Repository
· Virtual Reality Applications: further development of Second Life and other virtual reality projects

For more information, contact John B. Straw, Ball State University Libraries’ Assistant Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections, JStraw@bsu.edu, 765-285-5078.

Jonathan Rose and Ray Boomhower to Speak at Bracken Library

The program Winston Churchill and the Literary History of Politics will be presented by Jonathan E. Rose, the William R. Kenan Professor of History at Drew University, on April 9, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in Bracken Library’s Forum Room, BL-225.

This free program is jointly sponsored by the Friends of the Alexander M. Bracken Library and the Center for Middletown Studies, and it is open to the public.

The free program Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary will be presented by Ray E. Boomhower, Senior Editor, Indiana Historical Society Press, on April 21, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in Bracken Library’s Forum Room, BL-225.
The free program is sponsored by the Friends of the Alexander M. Bracken Library.

Jonathan Rose and Ray Boomhower to Speak at Bracken Library

The program Winston Churchill and the Literary History of Politics will be presented by Jonathan E. Rose, the William R. Kenan Professor of History at Drew University, on April 9, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in Bracken Library’s Forum Room, BL-225.

This free program is jointly sponsored by the Friends of the Alexander M. Bracken Library and the Center for Middletown Studies, and it is open to the public.

The free program Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary will be presented by Ray E. Boomhower, Senior Editor, Indiana Historical Society Press, on April 21, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in Bracken Library’s Forum Room, BL-225.
The free program is sponsored by the Friends of the Alexander M. Bracken Library.

New Web Site Simplifies Finding DVD/VHS Items from the University Libraries’ Collection

The University Libraries recently developed a Web site where students, faculty, staff, and other community members can search through over 16,500 DVD/VHS titles in the Libraries’ collections by 26 genres, title or date.

The online directory is due to the significant work of Robert L. Seaton, Web Developer, Caleb T. Mosier, student assistant, and Hank Gerhart, Statistical Data/Asset Control Specialist. They made creative use of Kelley C. McGrath’s Media Finders to search the Libraries’ online public catalogue, CardCat.

Since the Web site became available, it has become one of the Libraries’ Top 10 sites for hits, and circulation of both DVDs and VHS programs have greatly increased.

View www.bsu.edu/libraries/dvdlisting.

University Libraries Partner in Grant to Develop Visual and Oral History Project

The Ball State University Libraries will be a partner in a $50,000 grant project funded by the Cantigny First Division Foundation to develop a visual and oral history project.

The focus of the project is to record and make available interviews with veterans who served in the First Division of the United States Army during World War II.

Ball State History professors Michael W. Doyle and David J. Ulbrich received the grant from the Cantigny Foundation to conduct the project.

Professors Doyle and Ulbrich will train and supervise a group of undergraduate history students in conducting the interviews. These sessions will be digitally videotaped by University Teleplex personnel. Transcripts will be prepared under the supervision of personnel in the University Libraries. The resources will be preserved in the University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections and made accessible through the Libraries’ Digital Media Repository.

The University Libraries’ personnel who are part of this grant include Dr. Arthur W. Hafner, John B. Straw, James A. Bradley, Amanda A. Hurford, and Maren L. Read.

For more information, contact John B. Straw, Ball State University Libraries’ Assistant Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections, JStraw@bsu.edu, 765-285-5078.

Enhanced Multimedia Computing Environment in Ball State University Libraries

Ball State University Libraries recently opened a multimedia computing environment in the Educational Resources Collections. This resource, which consists of five high-performance PCs, two iMACs, and software, are the newest addition to Bracken Library’s public information technology offering. In the future, more units will be added to the complex.

The multimedia workstations allow students, faculty, and staff to easily manipulate media such as video, audio, and 3D models, and they are perfect for intensive analyses of large data sets as those encountered in disciplines such as actuarial science, finance, marketing, and classes that require statistical data analyses.

The PCs offer the latest in graphics processing technology, allowing users to engage in cutting-edge simulation activity and video game offerings. What makes these computers high-performance workstations is that they include Intel Core 2 Quad Processors Q6600, 2GB RAM, 300GB hard drives, multiple USB and Firewire ports, 9-in-1 memory card readers, and 22” widescreen HD LCD monitors.

To complement the multimedia computing workstations, additional devices include two analog and three digital capture devices to transfer content from miniDV and other media onto the PC and iMAC workstations. Studio-quality Sony headphones are available to ensure a superior aural experience.

The capture devices and headphones are available for four-hour checkout with up to two online renewals. A Wacom tablet will be available for users to borrow to support accurate image editing work in this space.

Dr. Arthur W. Hafner, Dean of University Libraries, comments, “Providing our students easy access to high-performance computing equipment and also allowing them to borrow video cameras are examples of how the University Libraries are implementing programs and developing services to support student learning and classroom instruction. We want the University Libraries to be the place where students come after they leave the classroom to pursue their research, study individually or collaborate with other students on projects, and complete their assignments.”

PC Productivity Software
PC software installed on the PC workstations include Adobe Production Premium Creative Suite 3, with Premiere Pro CS3, Encore CS3, Soundbooth CS3, and After Effects CS3 programs
Adobe Design Premium Creative Suite 3 with Photoshop CS3, InDesign CS3, Illustrator CS3, and Flash CS3
Sony’s Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 8.0 that provides professional-level video editing and DVD authoring functionality
The open-source program Audacity with its audio editing functions
The 2007 Microsoft Office Suite

iMAC Productivity Software
iMAC software includesFinal Cut Studio 2 with Final Cut Pro 6 (video and film editing), Motion 3 (graphics and animation in 3D), Soundtrack Pro 2 (audio post-production), Color (color grading and finishing), Compressor 3 and DVD Studio Pro 4 (digital delivery in any format)
Adobe Creative Suite Production with After Effects (motion graphics and visual effects), Premiere (video capture/editing), Photoshop (2/3-D graphics editing), Flash (interactive content), Illustrator (vector graphics editing), Soundbooth (audio editing), and Encore (optical disk authoring)
The 2008 Microsoft Office Suite

For more information, contact Bradley C. Johnston, Educational Resources Collections’ Booking/Reserves Assistant, BCJohnston@bsu.edu, 765-285-4368.

University Libraries: A Destination for Research, Learning, and . . . Facebook Fans

Ball State University Libraries have a presence on Facebook with the potential to connect with more than 25,000 members in the Ball State University network, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

After only a month of being live, the University Libraries “fan” base is growing. With the cooperation of several personnel in the University Libraries, official event photos, announcements of Libraries’ events, newly acquired items, and other relevant news and information are available from Facebook.

Visit Ball State University Libraries in Facebook,www.facebook.com/pages/Muncie-IN/Ball-State-University-Libraries/8631056252

Deborah M. Mix, Ph.D., Discusses Gertrude Stein and Contemporary American Women’s Writing

A reception and book discussion was held at Bracken Library on Friday, February 29 with Deborah M. Mix, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English. Dr. Mix discussed her new book, A Vocabulary of Thinking, which positions American writer Gertrude Stein, a catalyst in the development of modern art and literature, as an inspiration to today’s experimental women writers. In her book, Dr. Mix explores Stein influenced modern writers, such as Harryette Mullen, Daphne Marlatt, Betsy Warland, Lyn Hejinian, and Theresa Hak Kyung Cha.

The Department of English and the University Libraries hosted the program.

Managing and Accessing Electronic Journals at the Ball State University Libraries

Managing scholarly journal and magazine articles available in electronic format is a major activity in the University Libraries. To facilitate the management, tracking, and access to this important collection of academic content, in 2002 the University Libraries began a collaborative project with University Computing Services to create an electronic journal management system (EJMS). Today, this project serves as the data backbone of the Libraries’ public A to Z e-journals list, www.bsu.edu/libraries/ejournals/subject_all.asp.

Referred to internally as the Warren Database because the principal system designer was Warren D. Dawkins, then Head of Copy Cataloging, the University Libraries’ EJMS is a Microsoft Access/SQL Server-based system. The Microsoft Access frontend, hosted on a library file share, allows personnel in the Cataloging Services unit to access the data in the SQL Server via an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) connection. The current configuration of the system presents several setup and access challenges for the University Libraries.

Under the administration of University Computing Services, the Warren Database is a closed system because it is very difficult to expand or integrate it with new technologies and services that improve discovery and access to e-journal content. The Libraries’ solution to this dilemma is to migrate the EJMS to an open platform that the Libraries’ technology staff can modify.

Phase I of the EJMS migration project consists of two parts. The first is to move the database from a SQL Server running on UCS systems to MySQL running on the University Libraries’ systems. The second part moves the MS Access frontend to dynamic Web forms. This work is taking place during spring 2008.

While Phase I work will not produce many visible outcomes for student and faculty users, this work sets the stage for integration with the Libraries’ SFX “Find It @ BSU” service, improved statistical and internal reporting of e-journal title data, and the addition of new data fields to the system to improve the public interface.

Additionally, the libraries plan to investigate ways to replicate the functionality of commercially-available Electronic Resources Management (ERM) systems. This work will further improve the management of our growing electronic collections.

Some potential areas of development include:
· Integration of title-level statistical reports available through ScholarlyStats, a subscription service that aggregates electronic journal usage statistics from a variety of major content platforms
· Improvement of indexing of e-journal titles and subjects for enhanced searching and sorting for the public A to Z interface
· unified list of all aggregator, subscription, and open access electronic journal titles available to Ball State students and faculty
· Creation of a seamless, automated workflow notification system to facilitate the management of e-journal information and expedite title additions, deletions, and edits to produce reliable and consistent access to electronic journals

Creation of the University Libraries’ new EJMS will support the goals and objectives established in the Information Technology Strategic Plan and the accompanying IT Action Plan by improving and expediting the growth of electronic collections and offering our students and faculty increased quality and opportunity for knowledge discovery and synthesis.

The University Libraries are diligently identifying ways to continue to enhance our collections and services to meet the growing and changing needs of Ball State University students and faculty. The Electronic Journal Management System is an important component of our sustained efforts to meet the information management challenges of evolving collections in digital formats and to provide our students and faculty with the very best support for classroom teaching, collaborative learning, and explorative research.

For mroe information, contact Bradley D. Faust, Assistant Dean for Library Information Technology Services at 765-285-8032 or Matthew C. Shaw, Electronic Resources Librarian, 765-285-1302.

Bracken Library Hosts Pledge Recital by Music Fraternities

On Thursday evening, January 17, 2008, the music fraternal organizations of Sigma Alpha Iota (ΣΑΙ) and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (ΦΜΑ) performed their annual pledge recitals to a crowd of more than 70 people in Bracken Library’s lobby.

Both Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Sigma Alpha Iota fraternities are dedicated to the development, support and promotion of excellence in musical performance as well as service to the community.

The pledge recital provided an opportunity for undergraduate student musicians to demonstrate their diverse and remarkable talents. A variety of musical genre was presented through performances of unaccompanied solos and mixed ensembles in Bracken’s acoustically vibrant lobby. Pledge recitals are usually performed in one of the classrooms at the School of Music and are only heard by other fraternity members and invited guests.

“Bracken Library was the perfect venue for this recital. It gave the public a chance to enjoy a variety of musical styles, everything from classical violin to didgeridoo solo,” said Linda Putman, Muncie Alumnae Sigma Alpha Iota Chapter President. “It was a great opportunity to experience the fraternities in action.”