State University Libraries are Awarded Runner-up in IGI Global

The Ball State University Libraries were recently recognized for technology excellence by IGI Global, an international publishing company specializing in research publications in the fields of computer science and information technology management.

The corporation created an award and recognition program for an organization judged to use and promote innovative technological programs or systems that have proven critical to the successful integration, implementation, and diffusion of electronic resources within an academic library setting.

The submission by Dr. Arthur W. Hafner, Dean of University Libraries, and John B. Straw, Assistant Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections, focused on the Libraries’ development of the Digital Media Repository (DMR). The submission was sent to IGI Global on April 29, 2009. Dr. Hafner was notified of the award in May. The interested reader can learn more about it at
www.igi-global.com/campaign/award.asp.

The focus of the submission centered on Ball State University Libraries’ collaborative resource, the Digital Media Repository, http://libx.bsu.edu, which offers 72 collections with more than 120,000 digital objects.

It provides a centralized, coordinated, and user-focused resource to serve the teaching, learning, academic achievement, and research needs of students, faculty, and others. The DMR brings together the digital collections and projects of the University Libraries into a single, cohesive, accessible, easy to navigate, Web-based environment, while also providing access to external digital resources that support the educational processes for instructional objectives and learning outcomes.

An analysis of visits to the DMR during the seven-month period of September 2008 through March 2009 showed 286,476 hits. In March 2009, for example, there were 89,151 visits to different collections in the DMR. These statistics reflect use by Ball State students, faculty, international researchers, the media, and many other users who are both local and global.

The DMR is a key component of the Libraries’ goal to expand digital initiatives and facilitate development of emerging media opportunities for learning, research, and classroom enhancement and it continues to be a highly successful resource in the ongoing transition from print to digital resources that meet the expectations and information needs of the Ball State academic community and the continually growing international global research community.

As runner-up, the University Libraries received a plaque and the opportunity to publish an academic article featuring best practices and examples of transitions from print to electronic resources in one of IGI Global’s premier reference books.

Archetype: Future Designers Inspired by the Past on Exhibit in Bracken Library

Starting April 6 through June 15, 2009, students and faculty, along with Muncie community members and visitors, are invited to view the University Libraries' exhibit which will showcase student artwork inspired by pop culture and the expressive graphic style of the '60s.

The exhibit titled Archetype: Future Designers Inspired by the Past will be on display in Bracken Library on the second floor area of Archives and Special Collections. This exhibit is in collaboration with Associate Professors Christine Satory and Sam Minor, Department of Art, and junior visual communication majors.

The exhibition is meant to allow students to display their artwork to inform and educate. Items to be featured from the Archives and Special Collections will be student publications, poetry, highlights from Robert Kennedy’s 1968 Muncie visit, and graphic design from the '60s.

Finale® Music Notation Software Added on Selected Music Collection Computers

Four Windows-based and three Mac Pro computers now provide students and faculty with access to Finale® music notation software which allows them to compose, arrange, and notate their music.

Dr. Eleanor F. Trawick, Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music Theory and Composition, said that students use Finale® to edit and hear a computer-generated playback of their music, a feature that helps them to make adjustments to their work. They can also print engraver-quality sheet music.

“Having Finale® available in the library will be extremely helpful for students” said Professor Trawick.

Several midi interface keyboards with high-quality headphones are available for checkout at the Music Collection counter. Staff are available to help students, faculty, and staff who wish to use the program.

For more information, contact Amy L. Edmonds, Ball State University’s Music Librarian, ALEdmonds@bsu.edu,
765-285-5065.

University Libraries Initiate an Events Calendar by Applying Google Apps Calendar and HTML

To improve customer service and user experiences, the University Libraries recently introduced a Web-based events calendar for activities in Bracken Library.

The events calendar makes it easier for students, faculty, and visitors to find a meeting, locate an event, or learn what is happening in Bracken Library.

To develop the events calendar, we applied the powerful Google Apps Calendar program and some Web development experience. Our new directional application was online in less than 48 hours, and it already has proven to be successful. View it at www.bsu.edu/libraries/events

Simultaneous Searching of Multiple Databases with the Libraries’ New MultiSearch Tool

Since early January, students and faculty have had a powerful new tool available to them for conducting their research and learning with the introduction of MultiSearch. This software, developed by SerialsSolutions, Inc., allows for the simultaneous multiple searching of up to 50 specialized information resources, such as Academic Search Premier, JSTOR, the Web of Science, and the Libraries’ online CardCat.

Subject specific databases like America: History and Life and PsycINFO are also included.

“It’s one of the most significant improvements in providing access to information that this library has made recently,” said James W. Hammons, University Libraries’ Head of Library Technologies.

MultiSearch allows students and faculty to search databases produced by different vendors with one single search interface so that they no longer need to search each database individually. The product also allows users to access full-text articles and citations in a variety of disciplines with one search.

A significant feature of MultiSearch is that users can access it from remote locations such as residence halls, laboratories, classrooms, or off-campus.

MultiSearch is rapidly becoming popular with students and faculty. The University Libraries Instructional Services have offered a number of workshops to introduce MultiSearch. Students and faculty are impressed with the new resource.

New Library Materials Request Form Improves Communication with Faculty Members

Acquisitions Services and Library Information Technology Services (LITS) personnel have collaborated over the past several weeks to enhance the current Library Materials Request System (LMRS). In response to faculty requests to have more communication from the Libraries regarding the status of materials they have requested, Dr. Arthur W. Hafner, Dean of University Libraries, tasked the group with developing new notification functionality within the LMRS.

The newly revised LMRS form will automatically pull information from the Sirsi/Dynix Symphony integrated library system and present it via e-mail messages. Each requestor will receive weekly e-mails when their requested titles have been ordered and when their requests are received and are available for use. In addition to informing requestors of the status of their items, departmental library representatives will receive a monthly e-mail that will summarize the items ordered using their departmental library allocations and items that were received and are now ready for use.

Included in the enhancements is the ability to notify requestors more efficiently and quickly of requested materials that are already held by the University Libraries. This will provide speedier feedback allowing funds to be re-deployed for other requests from the department. Another enhancement expedites the Acquisitions Department’s handling of submitted requests.

The new LMRS, implemented at the beginning of December, already is proving to enhance communication with faculty and increase the effectiveness of Acquisitions Services. The new form is located on the Acquisitions Services’ Web page at www.bsu.edu/library/acquisitions.

For more information regarding the LMRS, contact Michael W. Twigg, Assistant Head of Acquisitions Services, MTwigg@bsu.edu, 765-285-8030.

Ball State Libraries' Displays Promote Collection

Ball State University Libraries’ collections contain resources that touch on every topic imaginable. The challenge for librarians is how to expose students, faculty, and community members to the breadth of the collections in a way that captures their interests and imagination without diverting them from their primary research needs.

On some level, this is the same dilemma faced by retail storeowners who must market a large inventory to consumers who are often focused only on a specific purchase.

While a library is far different from a commercial business, the University Libraries have seen positive benefits from developing eye-catching displays similar to retailers. Visitors to the main lobby can browse from a table of books and media chosen by librarians on topics relevant to the season or corresponding to commemorations designated by Congress or others.

For example, a recent display acknowledged the start of the semester with a collection of items on developing good study skills. Banned Books Week, sponsored by the American Library Association, prompted an array of notable books receiving challenges, such as The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird. Of increasingly timely interest is Bracken Library’s current display of resources on elections and issues which the candidates are discussing.

Library users are often seen thumbing through titles, and the presence of empty book holders confirms that titles make their way into stacks of items being checked out.

In addition, the Libraries’ specialized collections regularly draw attention to materials in their areas by mounting topic-specific displays. The Architecture Library is currently featuring titles on sustainability in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. The Educational Resources Collections are featuring colorful exhibitions of 3-D realia in addition to books of interest to young students. Spooky topics are in vogue as Halloween approaches.

Attractive posters and book jackets are displayed elsewhere in the University Libraries and prompt requests for items. Throughout, the approach is to appeal to students and faculty where they are – pausing to meet a classmate, waiting for the elevator, passing through the halls – and draws attention to topics and resources that might be of interest. It is a low-key method that has successfully garnered results and positive comments.

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.

LSTA Innovative Library Program Grant Supposrt Second Life Library Project

An LSTA Innovative Library Program Grant award in the amount of $5,400 will be used to create a virtual reference area and exhibit. These will serve as a test bed for experimentation and innovation centering on provision of digital content and library services for the expanding user population participating in Second Life, http://secondlife.com, a 3-D virtual world. The prototype reference area will provide access to subject specialists and interactive exhibit modules focused on the University Libraries’ rich resources documenting Muncie, Indiana as “Middletown,” a representative American community.

The project will allow librarians to develop the skills necessary to provide rich library resources and services using state-of-the-art new media in this emergent digital environment. The University Libraries will support the work of students and faculty in Second Life while developing best practices for the provision of library services in virtual worlds for the benefit of libraries statewide.

Second Life is a compelling 3-D virtual world where library users can meet and interact in an immersive and collaborative environment. Participants access the world using a computer and are connected in the virtual environment where they create an avatar, a virtual representation of themselves, that they can control in the same manner that one might control a video game character.

Ball State University faculty and students are increasingly using the Second Life world as a virtual classroom. Lectures are conducted and group projects are being undertaken in it. There is great potential for Second Life to become a vehicle for distance education, allowing students to interact in virtual classrooms and library spaces.

For the project, Archives and Special Collections and the Center for Middletown Studies will collaborate to develop content for the exhibit. The central purpose of the exhibit will be to provide an overview of Muncie as Middletown, a representative American community. There will be a core module that will provide an introduction to the Studies. Additional modules will present the six subject areas covered by the Middletown Studies. The modules will include interactive elements such as click-through PowerPoint presentations and hyperlinks to external resources and streaming media such as oral histories and film clips.

The reference area will include a desk and a “drop box.” The desk will be staffed on a scheduled basis and by appointment for the provision of reference services. The “drop box” acts as a mailbox allowing visitors to leave messages and questions for staff when they are absent from the desk or to schedule reference interviews with an archivist.

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

Ball State's 152nd Commencement

by Arthur W. Hafner, Dean of University Libraries

On Saturday, May 3, 2008, Ball State University celebrated its 152nd commencement. Approximately 2,600 students received diplomas at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.

As Dean of University Libraries, I would like to make some comments and share some observations.

Our graduating students have many people to thank for all of the help they have received along the way — significant others, parents, siblings, grandparents, in-laws, faculty mentors, and employers. And there is another group, too. They are the Ball State alumni who have gone before them since our graduates are the beneficiaries of our alumni’s earlier achievements.

Graduation initiates each of our students into the proud family of alumni who have offered their best. Now, because of what each of our students has accomplished at Ball State, each graduate is positioned to live a better life, to enjoy better opportunities, to hold better jobs, to have better choices, to achieve and build wealth, and to contribute to the communities in which each lives and works. In short, graduation from Ball State allows each of our graduates to claim his/her bliss and joy in the world.

Graduation marks the official completion of an important chapter in each student’s life. In leaving the Ball State campus and Muncie, a part of each student remains.

I urge each graduating student, as a proud new alumnus or alumna, to stay in contact with Ball State, to lend his/her voice and provide financial support for alma mater’s continued growth and development. The University's name recognition, the quality and reputation of its programs, and its success for recruiting and graduating leaders for tomorrow reflects directly upon each graduate and impacts the value of each graduate’s own degree.

As well, I urge each of our graduates to make the effort to stay in touch with fellow students, to develop a strong network of friends and contacts, and to commit one’s self to excellence and focus all creativity and time to make the world a better and more just place, influencing others to do the same.

I hope each graduate of the Class of 2008 will support important community resources, such as libraries that are open and available to everyone for self-education, since these facilities touch and enhance the lives of everyone within their sphere of influence.

As our graduates face tomorrow, my suggestion is that each quickly build on past achievements by setting new goals and seize opportunities that are waiting for you. Everything begins with an idea and happens through action.

I wish each graduating Ball State student abundant good health, happiness, and both financial and personal success.

Furniture Outside of Bracken Library Provides Additional Gathering Place, Expands Use of Library’s Two Plazas

The University Libraries recently purchased five outdoor lawn tables to enrich Bracken Library’s north and south plazas. Since mid-April, students and faculty have been able to enjoy the green next to Bracken for research, learning, and discussion.

Already the tables are proving popular with students and others who want to catch some sunshine while taking a break or socializing outdoors, or while they enjoy food and beverages al fresco from the Bookmark Café.

Of course, Bracken’s plazas offer full wireless connectivity so that students and faculty can access the Libraries’ resources through their laptops, Macbooks, notebook computers, and Wi-Fi enabled small-screen devices, such as PDAs, Palm/PocketPCs, or smartphones.

The tables are olive color, feature a 42” diameter tabletop, have perforated backless seats, and provide superior corrosion resistance because of their all-aluminum construction. Their recycled content is 68% and each table is 100% recyclable. An additional feature is that the tables do not require the use of cleaning chemicals to maintain their finish.

On each plaza, one of the tables provides wheelchair accessibility. Each unit typically offers six backless seating positions; the wheelchair accessible units offer five. The tables were manufactured by Landscape Forms Inc., Kalamazoo, Michigan, a member of the U.S. Green Building Council.

The outdoor furniture and the new indoor chairs recently added to Bracken Library are part of the continuing transformation of the University Libraries as a destination for students and faculty for research, learning, and friends. We want to make the University Libraries an inviting, friendly space that students and faculty visit first for their research and learning.

University Libraries’ Personnel Contribute to the Midwest CONTENTdm Users Group Meeting

Personnel from the University Libraries contributed to the success of the Third Annual Midwest CONTENTdm Users Group Meeting held April 29-30, 2008, in Indianapolis, Indiana. CONTENTdm serves as the platform for the Ball State University Libraries’ Digital Media Repository (DMR). The Users Group meeting drew over 100 attendees from all over the Midwest.

The ] Libraries team responsible for building the Middletown Oral History Collections, funded in part by a LSTA digitization grant, conducted the pre-conference workshop, “From Spoken Word to Digital File: Making Oral Histories Available in CONTENTdm.” The presenters demonstrated how to plan, digitize, create metadata, and publish an oral history collection using CONTENTdm. Ball State presenters included James A. Bradley, Head of Metadata and Digital Initiatives, Amanda A. Hurford, Metadata and Multimedia Developer, Maren L. Read, Archivist for Manuscript Collections, and Jonathan M. Brinley, Metadata and Digital Initiatives Developer.

The workshop earned overwhelmingly positive feedback from the capacity crowd of participants. “[The workshop] gave us good ideas about the next steps for our oral histories” said Jane Kokotkiewicz of Indianapolis’ prestigious Park Tudor School. “The pace was very good. Just what I needed.”

Brad Faust, Assistant Dean for Library Information Technology Services, served as co-chair of the Users Group Meeting Program Planning Committee. His responsibilities included hosting the program proposal Web form, collecting program proposals from speakers, and communicating with speakers and other program committee members about session schedules, acceptance, and registration details. Brad also served as moderator for two of the presentations at the Users Group meeting.

Speakers in several sessions referred to CONTENTdm successes at the University Libraries. The 3-D rotating image process used at Ball State, which can be seen in the Doll Collection in the DMR, is being used as a model at IUPUI.

Technical advice and direction provided by Budi Wibowo, University Libraries’ Head of Digital Libraries and Web Services, was mentioned as very useful by the Keynote Speaker. The Architecture Image End User Copyright Agreement page, presented to DMR users before access to the Architecture Image collection is granted, was also hailed as a great example of digital rights management.

For more information, contact Bradley D. Faust, Assistant Dean for Library Information Technology Services, BFaust@bsu.edu, 765-285-8032

Student Artwork Adds Sense of Place, Enjoyment to Others at Bracken Library

Artwork enhances the physical environment and adds color and interest to the study spaces at Bracken Library. Each summer we look forward to meeting students from the Department of Art who agree to lend artwork to the University Libraries for the enjoyment of others. Recently, senior Joshua J. Chatwin decided to donate three oil paintings to Bracken Library.

Artist Study of Robert Delunay’s Champs de Mars, oil on canvas, measuring 24” x 36” shown at right, will find a new home in the New Books and Bestsellers corner of Bracken Library. Delunay was a French cubist painter and an inspiration to Josh.

“I think it is cool to know I have work hanging in Bracken Library and that it will be in the possession of the Ball State Libraries now that I have graduated,” he said.

Laura M. Hruska, a junior from Munster, Indiana, agreed to lend three paintings this summer. Laura plans to major in photography. My Factory, oil and mixed media, measuring 64” x 48” is a geometric design with shades of yellow, purple, and red and will hang in the Learning Center area on the west side of Bracken’s first floor.

“Students whose work is accepted in Ball State’s annual juried art exhibit are our main contacts. We welcome artwork from our students and faculty,” said Susan Akers, University Libraries’ Marketing Communications Manager.

Authors Speak on Churchill and RFK

Students, faculty, and community members attended programs in April 2008 sponsored by the Friends of the Alexander M. Bracken Library featuring talks by authors of recent books on Winston Churchill and Robert F. Kennedy.

On April 9, Dr. Jonathan Rose, the William R. Kenan Professor of History at Drew University, spoke on Winston Churchill and the Literary History of Politics in Bracken Library. The program was co-sponsored by the Center for Middletown Studies. Dr. Rose is the author of a recent book by the same title as his talk.

On April 21, Mr. Ray Boomhower, Senior Editor at the Indiana Historical Society Press, presented Robert F. Kennedy: The 1968 Indiana Primary, also the title of his book.

The cover of Boomhower’s recently published book features a photograph of Kennedy speaking at Ball State University on April 4, 1968, from the George Yeamans Collection in the University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections. Other photographs taken by Yeamans are used in the book also.

Boomhower’s program was particularly appropriate during the 40th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy’s visit to Ball State University when he was running for president. Kennedy learned of the shooting and death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. while in Muncie and then went on to give his memorable speech in Indianapolis about King’s death.

The Yeamans photographs along with video and audio of Kennedy’s 1968 speech can be found in the Ball State Digital Media Repository, http://libx.bsu.edu/.

For more information on the Kennedy speech collection or the Friends of Bracken Library, contact John B. Straw, Assistant Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections, JStraw@bsu.edu, 765-285-5078.

Sustainability Planning at Ball State Libraries

Ball State University’s Strategic Plan 2007-2012 (Goal 4 and Objective F) calls for the University Council on the Environment, through its representative members, to create sustainability plans for each university unit. The University’s vision and commitment are summarized by its Sustainability Statement, www.bsu.edu/sustainability.

To begin planning and establishing guidelines to encourage sustainability initiatives within the University Libraries, the Dean of University Libraries recently appointed a Sustainability Committee. The initial four members are Dixie D. DeWitt, Bradley D. Faust, Suzanne S. Rice, and Sharon A. Roberts. At a later time, the Committee may expand to include more personnel.

The Sustainability Committee’s purpose is to promote awareness of sustainability initiatives among the Libraries’ personnel and to take positive steps to incorporate greater environmental awareness into the operations of the Libraries. These include steps for energy conservation, enhanced recycling, and conservation of natural resources.

The University Libraries have made efforts over the past several years to “think green.” Some of the actions we have already taken include:

· Encouraging double-sided copying to reduce use of paper
· Encouraging students to save files electronically as PDFs rather than print documents
· Installing new energy-saving florescent bulbs
· Installing sensors in rooms so lights are turned off when rooms are not in use
· Providing recycle containers on every floor
· Recycling of photocopy toner cartridges; recycling paper as scrap paper and note pads
· Requesting students to limit printing to 30 pages per day
· Setting thermostats at 72° throughout the Libraries
· Using equipment that features the Energy Star or other power management functionality to conserve electricity
· Using teleconferencing in lieu of travel
· Encouraging the Libraries’ personnel to carpool to work

We are committed to these initiatives and look forward to achieving higher levels of sustainability.

Ball State's Bracken Library: The Place to go to Get Work Done

Bracken Library is commonly viewed by students as the place to go to successfully complete all types of projects and assignments.
Whether students want to study early or late, alone or together, whether they want multimedia tools or quiet space to just read or think about a project, we accommodate them. In addition to friendly librarians, we offer comfortable spaces for individual or group study and access to the best in print and digital collections. The hours are also great for busy students.

At the University Libraries, students have the latest and best technology, software, and equipment to create multimedia presentations, DVDs, podcasts, and blogs, just to name a few.

Students can scan images, create short videos, use geospatial datasets, and design creative projects. And technology specialists are never far away. Several hundred thousand digital resources are accessible through the Libraries’ digital media repositories and digital commons, including videos, photographs, and Web sites. These resources are also accessible to students and faculty from off-campus.

Technological tools are available for check out, including laptops, video and digital cameras, Web cams, and more. There are 350 public workstations that feature both Windows and Mac platforms, many with dual monitor configurations for multiple software applications.

The University Libraries merge 21st century digital resources with print collections and new media to provide all the common software used on campus to assist our students in achieving success.

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.

Update on Cardinal Scholar Institutional Repository

Cardinal Scholar, Ball State University’s institutional repository, serves as a place where students, faculty, staff, and both academic and administrative units can deposit their intellectual and creative works and have the content accessible to a worldwide audience.

The Cardinal Scholar system stands poised to become an important element of the Ball State University’s research publishing distribution strategies. The service premiered in January 2008.

Representatives of the University Libraries have met with several faculty groups and administrative units on campus to publicize and explain the benefits, features, and options that the repository provides.

Anyone interested in more information about Cardinal Scholar or who wishes to discuss use of Cardinal Scholar, please contact John B. Straw, Assistant Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections, JStraw@bsu.edu, 765-285-5078.

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.