News

PALSave Program Serves Faculty and Students amid Affordability Concerns in Private Higher Education

December 4, 2020 by PALNIDCM

To address the financial pressures on families of students attending its colleges, the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana Inc. (PALNI) created its affordable learning program (PALSave), expecting to save students over one million dollars in five years.

PALSave combats rising textbook costs at the twenty-four PALNI supported institutions using free materials like open educational resources (OER) instead of expensive commercial textbooks. Within its first year after receiving a grant from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc., PALSave saved students $80,000 in 2019-20. Significantly more savings is expected as more faculty start using free textbooks. At this time, over 100 faculty members have enrolled in the Course Redesign Grants program to assist in the incorporation of the new learning materials. Year two savings is estimated to grow to over $305,000.

“The PALSave program supports faculty to adopt, adapt, and create affordable learning materials,” said Kirsten Leonard, Executive Director of PALNI. “The five-year funding from the Lilly Endowment enables PALNI to make a real difference to student success and reduce debt by supporting the implementation of course materials that are free to students and customizable by faculty. The program benefits extend beyond the students of the twenty-four PALNI colleges and universities in Indiana as faculty at other institutions use our openly available materials.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for access to affordable, high-quality electronic textbooks during this unprecedented time of remote learning. According to Inside Higher Ed, the pandemic and recession are driving increased interest in OER. PALSave supports this need by providing faculty the resources they need to identify and adopt zero-cost course materials. The program incentivizes faculty with stipends to write and post reviews of OER textbooks in their subject areas, and additional grants to redesign their course if the book is a good fit.

According to US News, average tuition and fees at private colleges for 2019-2020 were $36,000 and showed a steady 3% increase. Adding further pressure on Midwest colleges is the impending enrollment cliff, which forecasts a 15% decline in the number of college-age students by 2029, according to Nathan Grawe, an economist at Carleton College in Minnesota. One way private institutions can recruit and better serve students is to provide more affordable quality course materials. In addition to reducing costs for students, the PALSave program supports student performance and graduation success. Preliminary survey data from PALNI institutions reveal that most students feel zero-cost resources help their studies and grades.

Amanda Hurford, PALNI’s Scholarly Communications Director and project lead, states: “PALNI is taking a proactive approach to help students save money and learn better. We’ve been working to provide central support and lower barriers for our schools to get involved, which is important to PALNI supported institutions. Librarians and faculty have more to manage now than ever before.”

The PALSave program will continue to grow over the next four years of the grant and beyond. In addition to continuing key initiatives such as providing faculty workshops and providing Course Redesign Grants, PALSave will obtain licensed content and fund the creation of new textbooks to support course transformation. Other plans include building the PALSave OER repository and providing opportunities for faculty, instructional technologists, librarians, to connect.Progress and impact will be provided and updated on the PALSave website: https://palsave.palni.org/.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family — J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli — through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. More information can be found at www.lillyendowment.org.

2019-2020 PALSave Open Educator Award Recipients Named

November 24, 2020 by PALNIDCM

PALNI’s Affordable Learning Program, PALSave, has named seven faculty members from four PALNI schools recipients of the “PALSave Open Educator Award” for the 2019-2020 academic year. The Open Educator Award recognizes innovation and excellence in support of textbook affordability and student success. The inaugural awardees were all pilot participants in the PALSave Course Redesign Grants, and embody the spirit of the PALSave project by being the first to redesign their courses using zero-cost course material and providing feedback to shape the program.

The awards go to:

Name	Institution	Class
Kristin Flora	Franklin College	General Psychology
Jeff Phillips	Hanover College	Thermofluids Engineering
Paul Bible	Marian University	Intro to Programming
Patrick McVey	Marian University	Analytical Chemistry
Demetrice Smith-Mutegi	Marian University	Classroom Research I
Paul Bowdre	Oakland City University	Criminal Justice Capstone Seminar
Barnabas Otoo	Oakland City University (formerly)	General Chemistry 1

We thank them for their participation and pioneering work in open education with PALSave!

For more information about PALSave, please visit: https://palsave.palni.org/

Quilt exhibit goes digital with open-access platform

November 10, 2020 by PALNIDCM

Mennonite Historical Library and Goshen College Librarian Tillie Yoder opens up digital access to a unique collection of quilts by the College Mennonite Church using the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana’s (PALNI) Omeka platform service. Using this open-access software to digitize the physical collection exhibit, the public can view the special collection online, for free.

https://press.palni.org/omeka/exhibits/show/quilts2020

“I am grateful that PALNI provides access to Omeka hosting and enjoyed tinkering with the many options the platform provides,” shares Yoder. “Using Omeka enabled us to create a professional online exhibit at a time when access to our in-person exhibit is restricted. We anticipate digitizing past exhibits as well and look forward to seeing how our partner libraries use the platform in their own ways.”

The online exhibit was co-sponsored by the Mennonite Historical Library and Goshen College Good Library. The public can view photos of the various quilts and the corresponding physical display, a list of the exhibit leaders, and a video showcasing the physical exhibit alongside interviews and statements from several quilters.

PALNI’s Omeka service is made possible through the efforts of the Publishing Services Administration Team (PSAT), which administers the PALNI Press. The PALNI Press openly publishes the scholarly and creative content of PALNI-supported institutions.

To view the “Quilts from College Mennonite Church” collection exhibit, please see: https://press.palni.org/omeka/exhibits/show/quilts2020

PALNI Recognizes Remarkable Library Leadership and Staff

October 2, 2020 by PALNIDCM

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana Inc. (PALNI) honored library leadership and staff by presenting a combined twenty-two awards during the August 7th All-staff meeting and September 24th Board meeting. Collaborative work and the library directors and their staff’s individual efforts further the organization’s mission: to collaborate to enhance the teaching and learning missions of private higher education in Indiana by optimizing resources and services while strengthening leadership and professional development.

The PALNI Executive Director Kirsten Leonard bestowed five categories of awards:

The “Hall of Fame” award recognizes library staff who’ve volunteered long-standing service and invested above and beyond in PALNI initiatives.
The “Outstanding Service 2020” award acknowledges active facilitators who drive action items and advance projects throughout the year.
The “Heart of PALNI Award” is given to staff who embody PALNI’s deep collaboration and supportive culture.
The “Outstanding Achievement Award for Leadership in Deep Collaboration” honors select library senior leaders who have led the way in working together more deliberately and effectively during the year.
The “Lifetime Visionary Award for Leadership in Deep Collaboration” honors those who have articulated the nature of the changing information services landscape and provided long-standing leadership to work together to meet those needs.

PALNI Hall of Fame

Laura Vogler (Wabash College)
Erin Milanese (Goshen College)
Vanessa French (Butler University)
Jeff Siemon (Anderson University)

Outstanding Service 2020

Caitlin Balgeman (Marian University)
Jennifer Coranado (Butler University)
Nicholas Stanton Roark (Anderson University)
Karla Fribley (Earlham College)
Brandon Board (AMBS)
Suzanne Hinnefeld (Saint Mary’s College)
Roger Peters (Concordia Theological Seminary)
Vicky Mast (Franklin College) (Retired)
Carla Harper (University of Indianapolis)
Nathalie Rouamba (University of Saint Francis)
Melissa Rasmussen (Manchester University)

Heart of PALNI Award

Sue Wiegand (Saint Mary’s College)
Cassaundra Bash (Ancilla College)

Outstanding Achievement Award for Leadership in Deep Collaboration – 2020

Karl Stutzman (AMBS)
Tonya Fawcett (Grace College)
Jessica Trinoskey (Marian University)

Lifetime Visionary Award for Leadership in Deep Collaboration

Janet Brewer (Anderson University)
Rick Provine (DePauw University)

PALNI Receives 2020 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grant for Digitization of Rare Materials

September 18, 2020 by PALNIDCM

Librarian of Saint Meinrad Theological Seminary showcasing one of the many books in the library's "Rare Book Room" — Librarian of Saint Meinrad Theological Seminary showcasing one of the many books in the library’s “Rare Book Room”

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana, INC (PALNI) is the successful recipient of a 2020 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant for the digitization project entitled, Collaboratively Preserving Rare Scholarship in Religiously Affiliated Libraries: PALNI Last Copies. The project will expand upon existing workflows established through the ALI-PALNI Shared Print digitization project and digitize 240 scarcely-held circulating monographs from PALNI’s supported institutions via the Internet Archive in Fort Wayne.

Phase one of the project, Data Analysis, will start as soon as possible in Fall 2020. PALNI will research scarcely-held titles to identify a picklist for each institution of unique-in-Indiana titles in the public domain and not yet digitized. Between October and January, each PALNI library will select ten books each from the scarcely-held list and send them to the Internet Archive in Fort Wayne for digitization.

About Indiana State Library Services and Technology Act Grants: https://www.in.gov/library/lsta.htm
The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) was signed into law September 30, 1996 as part of the Museum and Library Services Act. As a result, federal LSTA funds are distributed from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to states for the purposes of increasing the use of technology in libraries, fostering better resource sharing among libraries, and targeting library services to special populations.

Butler Faculty Member Publishes an Open Textbook with PALSave Program

September 15, 2020 by PALNIDCM

Butler University faculty Brian Weidner reduces the student textbook cost burden by creating an open access book for his course, “Brass Techniques 1,” after receiving a PALSave Course Redesign Grant. Using an open-access textbook, each student in this course will save $50 with a total savings of $550 for Fall 2020.

Brass Techniques and Pedagogy Book Cover (Author Brian Weidner)

PALSave combats rising textbook costs at the twenty-four PALNI supported institutions using free materials like open educational resources (OER) instead of expensive commercial textbooks. Along with receiving a Course Redesign Grant, Weidner was the first in the consortium to use Pressbooks, an open-source, open-access publishing platform provided by PALNI, to create his textbook. Pressbooks allows editing and remixing of existing material, providing faculty with the ability to customize their course materials to meet their students’ needs.

About the course redesign process Weidner states, “Redesigning this course around a custom-made OER has allowed me to flip the classroom as the textbook meets the exact needs that my students have. While it has taken me time to build a brand new text as there were no open textbooks out there already, my students have expressed how excited they are to have a resource that they do not need to pay for, and colleagues at other institutions have discussed adopting this text to support their students as well. I look forward to having this text improved by others who choose to use it in the future.”

PALNI is hosting and supporting Pressbooks for current Course Redesign Grant awardees, and this fall the service will be available to any faculty member at a PALNI-supported institution. To encourage faculty to create their own, original open textbooks, PALSave Textbook Creation Grants will also be announced this fall.

PALNI’s Pressbooks service is made possible by two of its collaborative groups, the OER Publishing Task Force and the Publishing Services Administration Team. The PALSave program itself is supported with funding from the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

To view Brian Weidner’s open textbook, “Brass Techniques and Pedagogy” please see: https://pressbooks.palni.org/brasstechniquesandpedagogy/

About Butler University: www.butler.edu

Located in the heart of the Indianapolis Butler-Tarkington neighborhood, Butler University seeks to provide the highest quality of liberal and professional education and to integrate the liberal arts with professional education, by creating and fostering a stimulating intellectual community built upon interactive dialogue and inquiry among students, faculty, and staff. In 1855 attorney and abolitionist Ovid Butler founded the school on the principle that everyone deserves an excellent education, regardless of race or gender—a bold idea in pre-Civil-War America. Today, we’ve built on Butler’s vision to create a community of students and faculty that learn by doing—a community that values hard work as an essential building block for success, whether in the classroom, on the field, or out in the world. Butler University is the only Midwest Regional University to earn the U.S. News designation as Most Innovative School, according to the magazine’s 2018 rankings. For the eighth consecutive year, Butler ranks No. 2 overall among 171 Midwest Regional Universities. Butler is also recognized among the best in the nation for four co-curricular programs that enhance the educational experience for students. For more information, visit www.butler.edu.

PALNI Executive Director to Serve Another Term on the Partnership for Shared Book Collections’ Executive Committee

August 21, 2020 by PALNIDCM

PALNI Executive Director Kirsten Leonard to continue her leadership service on the Executive Committee for the Partnership for Shared Book Collections. The Partnership was formally launched in January 2020 to ensure the long-term preservation of, access to, and integrity of monographic print resources. A founding member of the original steering committee, Leonard has been elected to chair the executive committee of the newly formed organization to provide valuable governance and organizational expertise as the new partnership advances.

The Partnership is leading initiatives on best practices, research on cost and risk, and communication on the value of the print monograph. The Partnership has grown to 14 shared print program members representing over 346 libraries and will continue to grow. The Partnership for Shared Book Collections and PALNI will continue working together to retain access to collections across North America.

Ms. Leonard joins Daniel Dollar of Yale University (Vice Chair), and Susan Stearns of EAST to form the executive leadership team.

More information on the Partnership is available on the website https://sharedprint.org/

Four New Inductees to the PALNI Hall of Fame

August 14, 2020 by PALNIDCM

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana Inc. (PALNI) inducted four library staff into the PALNI Hall of Fame at the virtual OPAL/PALNI all-staff meeting, August 7th, 2020. Awardees have had long-standing service or broad investment in advancing PALNI as a whole or a major impact on a PALNI initiative over multiple years. The “Hall of Fame” award is given to those who have helped to create the collaborative environment, strategic direction, and success PALNI has achieved and embody the PALNI culture of respect and innovation. This year’s awardees include:

Laura Vogler, Wabash College

Laura Vogler has had a longstanding and active involvement with PALNI. Her contributions to the PALNI community conversation and shared knowledge have spanned the gamut from technical system functions and configurations, to identifying areas to improve workflow efficiencies, to providing keen insight on strategy and trends in academic librarianship. Laura’s approach to issues is strongly evidence based and she is never afraid to ask “Now, why are we doing it that way?” Laura has been an important member of the leadership of the PALNI Fulfillment steering committee and the Digital Lending task force. She has been a key addition to the PALNI community to challenge us to always look to improve and to do so collaboratively and by leveraging our collective expertise. She was also recently honored by OCLC as a leading contributor to the OCLC community site.

Erin Milanese, Goshen College

Erin’s knowledge and contributions to the PALNI, the PALSave program and the instructional technology advisory group have been vital to its strong success. She has served as the coordinator of the PALSave program, and has served on the steering committee of the instructional technology advisory group. Erin is being honored for the work she has done to develop meetings and summits, and for her key contributions to the creation of the instructional Tech Tools website. Erin’s consistent efforts to share her knowledge and engage with others in PALNI has advanced collaboration in many avenues, between librarians, between instructional technologists, and faculty. Her knowledge and dedication to these projects are exceptional.

Vanessa French, Butler University

Vanessa French has served on the KnowledgeBase/License Manager group on the steering committee and on the Collection Management Policy Team. She is one of PALNI’s liaisons to the ALI Resource Advisory Committee. Vanessa is another one with a strong voice and vision to find a way to improve. She won’t be bullied by vendors and serves as a powerful partner in negotiations. She is a data whizz, is constantly exploring new tools and resources, and steps up to support the analytics needs of PALNI as we try to improve our current deals and prospective collection collaboration. Her knowledge and expertise have been invaluable to our renewals and strategy development. She works extremely smart on behalf of Butler and shares what she has learned with others in PALNI. She almost always presents a new way of handling a situation that benefits us all.

Jeff Siemon, Anderson University

Jeff has provided significant contributions to the PALNI and wider body of knowledge through presentations, thought provoking and insightful written pieces in the PALNI and OCLC communities, identifying and advocating for collaborative solutions, and offering librarians assistance and advice on individual issues. Jeff has also served on the KnowledgeBase/License Manager group and on the Collection Management Policy Team. He has been a major contributor to OCLC knowledgebase accuracy. He served as one of the two liaisons to the INSPIRE advisory group. State Librarian Jake Speer commended him on his knowledge, expertise, and dedication to libraries of all types in the state of Indiana. Jeff not only prepared detailed analysis of the proposals, but also developed strategy for review and negotiation. The members of the PALNI Collection Management Team commended him for his work and also for the work he has put in to improve the next RFP cycle for INSPIRE. Jeff’s work has been full of challenges. Data cleanup and statewide government bureaucracy. But he continues on, makes headway, and benefits people worldwide.

Many congratulations to the awardees and thank you for your exemplary service.

PALNI Librarians Recognized as OCLC Community Center Top Contributors

July 14, 2020 by PALNIDCM

In a recent post by the OCLC Next blog article about OCLC’s community center, three PALNI librarians are mentioned as top contributors: Heather Loehr from Hanover College, Laura Vogler from Wabash College, and Lisa Gonzalez from PALNI.

Laura Vogler’s article quote summarized the value of the community:

“Each reply to a discussion post essentially becomes the basis for a global database of knowledge, thus a more detailed response not only helps the individual who created the post but anyone who might search the discussions in the future. … The saying ‘knowledge is power’ describes the value of OCLC’s Community Center. The more we share and help each other, the more we learn, and that in turn helps to improve the services we provide to our individual institutions and adds value to the work we do. By helping each other, we are also helping OCLC to improve the products we use, and I personally appreciate the fact that OCLC encourages and welcomes each library’s contribution to the conversation.”

Congratulations to the three of them for their contributions and the power of PALNI in making up such a strong representation in the OCLC community top 16 contributor list!

Read the full article: http://www.oclc.org/blog/main/the-oclc-community-center-at-five-years-your-extra-colleague/ 7

Shared: Nationwide Alliance Launches New Video to Highlight The Value of Library Print Collections During the Time of Pandemic

June 26, 2020 by PALNIDCM

June 25, 2020 – Written by Rosemont Shared Print Alliance and the Partnership for Shared Book Collections (of which PALNI is part of)

The Rosemont Shared Print Alliance and the Partnership for Shared Book Collections today launched a two-minute video highlighting the importance of shared print collections in libraries as a key component to ensuring ongoing and future access to the scholarly record and to the future of research, teaching, and learning. The video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/Ie8qm_idkDU (or below).

“Most people access scholarly information online these days, and even more so since much of the world has been in some form of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” commented Judy Russell, Dean of Libraries at the University of Florida and Chair of the Rosemont Alliance Executive Committee. “But you can only digitize something if the original print copy has been safely retained.” Libraries have been collaborating to determine the proper level of redundancy of their print collections, ensuring that collections are protected and maintained while offering individual libraries flexibility in what to keep on their shelves. According to the Center for Research Libraries, there are currently 49 Shared Print Programs registered with the Print Archive and Preservation (“PAPR”) Registry.

Read the rest of the article…