Three long-serving and highly valued members of the Dalhousie Libraries staff are about to retire. Sharon Longard, Tim Ruggles and Tina Usmiani will be taking early retirement effective July 1, 2012 and moving on to new chapters in their lives. All have been with the libraries for many years and have made invaluable contributions in their fields. Here are brief descriptions of their careers at Dal.
Sharon Longard, Head of Reference Services, Killam Library
As a new graduate of the Dalhousie School of Library Service, Sharon was hired in June 1978 as a Science Librarian in the Macdonald Science Library. She was appointed the subject librarian for Psychology and worked as a science reference and instruction librarian. In the early years Sharon worked closely with Psychology Department faculty members to develop an information literacy component for the Psychology 2000 class. She has been teaching psychology students about library resources, both in person and online, for over 30 years. Sharon has worked on countless Library and Faculty of Science committees through the years. She served as Head of Science Services from 1998-2004 and is currently Head of Reference and Research Services in the Killam Library.
Tim Ruggles, Health Sciences Librarian
Tim began his career at the Dalhousie University Libraries at the newly built Killam Library in 1973 as a cataloguer, eventually becoming Assistant Head in that department. For much of his time at the Killam he served as the library’s Political Science subject specialist. In 1986, after graduating with an MLS degree from Dal’s School of Library and Information Studies (now called School of Information Management), he was appointed to a librarian position at the W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library. This position was originally half-time in Technical Services and half-time in Public Services. In the late 1990’s Tim became the Library’s point person in evidence-based medicine. He worked closely with the Departments of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine for many years in their ebm training programs for residents. In 2009 Dal’s Emergency Medicine Department showed their appreciation for Tim’s work by naming an award after him: the “Tim Ruggles Critically Appraised Topic Award” is now presented annually to the resident who writes the best CAT. Tim has also shared joint responsibility as liaison for undergraduate medicine for many years.
Tina Usmiani, Dalhousie Libraries Communications Officer
Tina has been working off and on at the Libraries since 1979, when she was hired as a cataloguer at the Killam and became the library’s Russian subject specialist. In 1982 she went to University of Toronto to do a PhD in Russian Studies and returned to Killam cataloguing in 1990 after working briefly in the Law Library. Tina continued her work as a library assistant in Special Collections from 1996 until 2009, when she acquired her current position as the Dalhousie Libraries Communications Officer.
Job Posting: Instruction/Liaison Librarian, Health Sciences
The Kellogg Health Sciences Library is seeking a collaborative, flexible, innovative and service-oriented individual for the position of Information Services Librarian (full-time probationary appointment).
Deadline for applications is April 13, 2012.
View this posting on the Libraries’ Job Vacancies page.
Information Services Librarian, Health Sciences
The W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library invites applications for the position of Information Services Librarian (full?time probationary appointment). Deadline for applications is April 2, 2012.
Watch our Job Vacancies page for new listings of positions at the Dal Libraries!
Welcome New University Librarian Donna Bourne-Tyson
The Dalhousie Libraries are pleased to welcome Donna Bourne-Tyson as our new University Librarian, effective November 1, 2011. Donna comes to Dal from Mount Saint Vincent University where she has been University Librarian since 2005.
Donna has led successful initiatives in the areas of open access, institutional data preservation, learning communities, user-driven e-book acquisitions, the re-imagining of library spaces, and information literacy. She has been recognized for creating a collaborative, inclusive work environment and a culture of service innovation.
Donna has served in leadership roles with professional associations, including terms as president of three provincial or divisional library associations. She has presented frequently at various national and regional events and conferences. Donna is a founding member of Libraries Nova Scotia, a partnership of all public and academic libraries in the province. She is an alumna of Dalhousie’s Master of Library and Information Studies program. View Donna’s profile
Welcome to Dal, Donna–we’re look forward to working with you!
How Do Librarians Help Students?
“Since I started university in September, I’ve been really pleased with the services the library provided. Staff are always knowledgeable when I ask for information and if they weren’t then they would easily stir me in the right direction.”
“I have always had excellent service at the library and their abilities are top-notch. I’ve never been disappointed. 🙂 “
“I truly appreciate the ‘ask a librarian.’ The librarians are fabulous. They are ALWAYS very helpful and appear to want to answer your questions! They obviously like their jobs!”
These comments are among many we’ve received from students who have enjoyed working with our Dal librarians. But recent studies show that librarians come pretty far down the list when most students go looking for help with their academic work.
We get it that Google and Wikipedia are handy and helpful; in fact, we use them too. But if you’re depending on only these sources for the best quality information, you’re missing out. Did you know …..
- There’s a librarian for every subject taught at Dal
- Librarians are research experts. Many do their own professional research, so they know just where to look and how to search for information
- Librarians can show you how to search the web effectively, evaluate websites, avoid plagiarism, and research online from home
- Librarians are happy to work with you one-on-one to help you with your assignments
- They will come to your class to teach you how to find and use library resources in your area of study (just ask your prof)
- Working with a librarian will save you time and stress—guaranteed!
Don’t be shy about asking a librarian for help. The students quoted above were happy they did, and you will be too!
What Can Librarians Do For Faculty?
You know that there’s a librarian for every discipline taught at Dal, and you’ve seen them sitting at the reference desks in the Dal Libraries. But are you aware of the many ways librarians support your teaching and research?
Our subject specialist librarians do a lot more than order books and answer reference questions. They’ll work with you to put together electronic reading lists for your courses, help you design effective class research assignments, show your students how to find library resources in their area of study, and explain how to stay updated on new library acquisitions in your research field. They’re also experts in new technology.
Librarians are information and knowledge professionals who can make your academic life a whole lot easier. Take a look at our Subject Librarians Services page and then get in touch with the specialist librarian in your field of study!
Information Management Public Lecture
From Just-in-Case to Just-in-Time: The Changing Models for Information Resources Management and Development
Joyline Makani, Management and Economics Librarian, Dalhousie University
Thursday, March 3rd, 2011
2:00-3:00pm
Rowe Building Room 3089
In today’s economy, faced with increased pressure to reduce costs, information resources vendors and publishers are more receptive to the idea that just-in-time (JIT) business and service models could be beneficial to their bottom-line. JIT is a management philosophy that focuses on the production and inventory system ensuring that supplies arrive just as they are needed. JIT enables companies to save money and time because they don’t have to pay for storage space or manage as much inventory. Consequently the mounting pressure on vendors’ margins and the increasing adoption of JIT concepts as ways to reduce costs has resulted in new selection and acquisition models being pushed into the information manager’s work processes, specifically collection management and development processes. These models are enshrined in new concepts such as “patron driven acquisition” (PDA), or “print-on-demand services”.
For librarians/information managers the question remains, is JIT the right prescription to the effective building and maintaining of library collections, i.e., does JIT enable lean and efficient collection development processes? This paper explores the theory behind collection management and development in general, relating this to the changes and underlying attitudes in the currently evolving business models, specifically the role of the customer/patron versus that of the collection development librarian in academic libraries. The recently launched patron-driven e-book acquisitions pilot at the Dalhousie University Killam Library is also discussed as a case study informing this paper.
Joyline Makani has worked as the management and economics librarian at Dalhousie University for over ten years. As a subject specialist her primary areas of responsibility with regards to collection management and development include business, commerce, economics, information management, and public administration. She also teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in the Faculty of Management. She holds MLIS and MBA degrees from Dalhousie University and is currently a PhD candidate in knowledge management.
Working with Students to Study Students
Working With Students to Study Students: Findings of an Academic Library Student Study
Linda Bedwell
November 23, 11:45 – 12:45
Rowe Building Room 3089
Dalhousie University
In order to most effectively use their resources, libraries must have a full understanding of the values, behaviours, and preferences of the communities they serve. Inspired by recently published student studies, Linda Bedwell, Dalhousie Reference & Instruction Librarian, set out to gather data on the student population served by the Killam Library; in particular, their research and learning habits, online search behaviours, and perceptions and use of the library. This information would aid in future planning of library services, space, online resources and teaching efforts in order for the library to have a better impact on students’ academic lives.
Through a serendipitous partnership with a Sociology faculty member, Linda worked with a group of fourth-year Sociology and Social Anthropology students to conduct four Dalhousie University student studies during the 2009-10 academic year. She will be presenting her findings at a public lecture sponsored by the School of Information Management. Come to this session to learn more about the experience of working with students to study students and to hear the results of these revealing studies.
Visit the SIM website for more information.
Libraries Welcome Michael Steeleworthy
The Dal Libraries are very pleased to introduce you to Michael Steeleworthy, who joined us on August 1. Michael is a Public Services Librarian at the Killam Library. He manages the system-wide collection of online learning materials, which includes tutorials and quizzes on library resources and learning strategies. You’ll also see Michael working at the Killam’s Reference Desk, helping members of the Dal community with their research needs, in-person and online.
I frequently travel to the south-west United States, where I have family (and so I can take in the sun). This photo is from a May 2010 hike on the West Fork Trail of Palm Canyon in Palm Springs, California; this Christmas I’m going to bicycle through Joshua Tree National Park. To put it plainly, I’m a fan of the desert, of John Steinbeck, and of the coast, so I get along real well with California.
Contact Michael at steeleworthy@dal.ca or at 494- 3661.