PALNI

New PALNI Scholarly Communications initiatives take off after new Scholarly Communications Director hire, Amanda Hurford

PALNI Scholarly Communications Director Amanda Hurford

Since the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana, Inc (PALNI) hired a Scholarly Communications Director, a number of scholarly communication initiatives have launched consortia-wide. Those in affordable education, open access publishing, and institutional repository (IR) development topping the list. The new Scholarly Communications Director, Amanda Hurford, brings focused expertise to the supported PALNI schools and looks forward to sharing her knowledge while forming partnerships in and outside of the consortia.

“PALNI has made it possible to launch scholarly communication initiatives at our very small theological school,” Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary Library Director Karl Stutzman testifies to the added value. “There is broad excitement from our faculty and administrators for open access resources because they are so clearly connected to our educational mission; having a PALNI staff expert is helping us leverage PALNI’s significant technological resources to support open access journals, launch an institutional repository, and more.”

Scholarly Communications jobs have grown in significance since the Association of College Research and Libraries (ACRL) identified the crisis in their 2003 white paper, “Principles and Strategies for the Reform of Scholarly Communication.” A 2012 Association of Research Libraries survey showed a 70% increase in the number of scholarly communications positions with 24% creating new areas to handle scholarly communication support. However, most PALNI libraries lacked the budget to create a position focused on this area on their own.

In late 2016, the PALNI Board of Directors unanimously voted to add the shared, full-time staff position continuing PALNI’s “deep collaboration” initiatives. The position, the first of its kind nationally, supports a consortial effort to advance scholarly communications, institutional repository support, and affordable education initiatives at all 22 supported institutions. Previously in the PALNI consortia, only Butler University Libraries had access to a full-time Scholarly Communications Librarian despite the growing need in all schools.  

To achieve this year’s goals, Ms. Hurford leads the Scholarly Communications Advisory Group, which works to provide PALNI librarians with the knowledge, tools, and services needed to engage in these types of projects at the local level. Projects include creating a faculty OER adoption toolkit, implementation of the cutting edge Hyku institutional repository software, and building a robust support system around open access publishing using Open Journal Systems.

Ms. Hurford brings over a decade of experience in digital librarianship working for Ball State University and IUPUI. Former colleague and IUPUI Associate Dean of Digital Scholarship Kristi Palmer spoke highly of Ms. Hurford’s experience, “Ms. Hurford has been an integral part in the success of Indiana’s Service Hub with the Digital Public Library of America, participating since the Indiana Memory DPLA was formed in 2015. As the organization’s current chair she led our 2nd Annual DPLA Fest and has worked diligently to ensure the organization thrives in its mission.”

“Having recently finalized our action plan for 2018, I’m truly excited to move our ambitious goals into sustainable programs within PALNI,” Ms. Hurford states enthusiastically. “Especially interesting will be the development of our consortial institutional repository, and all the opportunities for growth and collaboration it invites in and outside of PALNI.”

PALNI releases ACRL/IPEDS instructional guides for OCLC WMS users

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana Inc. (PALNI) has released a number of open-access ACRL and IPEDS statistical collection videos and guides to assist OCLC’s Worldshare Management Services (WMS) users in the consortium and beyond.

Heather Loehr, PALNI Analytics Coordinator and Hanover College Duggan Library’s Coordinator of Information Services (Photo provided by Loehr)

All academic libraries are required to report data to the IPEDS annual survey and optionally to the ACRL survey, both necessitating significant time and data processing. Heather Loehr, the PALNI analytics Coordinator and Hanover College Duggan Library’s Coordinator of Information Services, led the project in order to create a common set of instructions that could be shared to all libraries using WMS, rather than each library developing its own guides locally. To benefit the whole OCLC community, the team included instructions for both Standard Reports–available to all WMS users–and instructions for Report Designer users.

Ms. Loehr, originally partnering with Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary Library Director Karl Stutzman and more recently with DePauw University Prevo Science Library’s Associate Dean of Libraries and Coordinator Caroline Gilson, saw the consortial need for consistent and time-saving instructions in 2015. “We wanted to develop methods that were easy to use and could be used consistently year after year. Consistency is key—the data is most valuable when we are confident that we are reporting on a common standard both internally as well as across the consortium. The methods we have developed are simplified to some degree, and surely more granular analysis could be done for greater accuracy, but we believe that the data acquired is accurate enough and the procedures are clear and accessible.”

The OCLC community of users enthusiastically embraced the work and was praised by the OCLC WorldShare Analytics Community Manager Team. “The OCLC Community Center was designed to foster the culture of support and collaboration among libraries. The IPEDS and ACRL reporting guides that our PALNI colleagues build every year and distribute through the Community Center is one of the best examples of impactful collaborations that we’ve seen. PALNI and their colleagues across various communities of practice are truly setting the pace for sharing knowledge about best practice workflows, as well as gathering and contributing ideas on how to improve products. Congratulations to PALNI on another round of important contributions to the collective’s effective use of WorldShare Reports!”

Before these instructional videos and guides were released, librarians had to interpret the survey instructions and develop their own data-gathering methods locally making it difficult to benchmark across the nation. Now, with over 70+ hours invested by Ms. Loehr’s team in gathering data, creating instructions, and designing the guides and videos, all WMS users can save time and reduce uncertainty by making use of the guides and videos. Having clear instructions that match data points to the survey questions reduces the range of interpretation, making the ACRL and IPEDS statistics more valuable when comparing across the nation.  

The Customer Service Director of Counting Opinions, creators of the ACRLmetrics analytics tool that allows libraries to manage and measure ACRL and other performance data, complimented Loehr’s team, saying, “Peer benchmarking is an important component of assessment in academic libraries. Consistent methods for gathering data across institutions are vital for useful peer benchmarks. The excellent work led by Heather Loehr, Coordinator of Information Services with the Duggan Library at Hanover College and Analytics coordinator for the PALNI consortium can be used by all OCLC Worldshare Management Services (WMS) participants helping to guarantee consistent data gathering across all WMS peers.  We thank her for her efforts and for the PALNI group’s sharing of this work.”

In addition to the guides, Loehr and Gilson hosted a PALNI online training session this year. Franklin College’s Library Director Denise Shorey attended the Fall session and greatly appreciated the work, “I’m very grateful to Heather Loehr for her role in creating guides for using WMS Reports. By aligning WMS options with IPEDS/ACRL requirements, the guides have been an immense time-saver. The step-by-step instructions provide clear guidance, and Heather was superbly patient in answering any lingering questions that I had.”

PALNI honors those who have made it a 25-year success

“Hall of Fame” certificates handed out to individual inductees. (Photo by: Megan West/PALNI)

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana Inc. (PALNI) celebrated its 25th anniversary by presenting forty-seven awards of recognition on May 24th, 2017 at Marian University’s Allison Mansion. PALNI, a non-profit organization supporting collaboration for library and information services to the libraries of its twenty-two supported institutions, was initially funded with a Lilly Endowment Inc. grant. The organization has successfully partnered to support innovation, learning, and cut costs for all PALNI institutions for more than a quarter century.

The Executive Director, Kirsten Leonard, gifted five categories of awards during the event. Each founding member attending the celebration received a “Founders Award” to recognize their creation of the PALNI organization. The “Hall of Fame” award was given to those who have helped to create the synergistic environment, strategic direction, and success PALNI has achieved. The “Outstanding Achievement Award for Leadership in Deep Collaboration” was bestowed to select library directors who have led the way in working together more deliberately and effectively. The “Lifetime Visionary Award” honors those in PALNI who have been able to understand the long-term demands on libraries and helped the organization to work together to meet those needs. Finally, the “Heart of PALNI Award” was given to staff who embody the warm, supportive culture of PALNI.

Founders Award

  • Eileen Saner, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary
  • Ron Schuetz, Franklin College
  • Devon Yoder, Goshen College
  • William (Bill) Darr, Grace College and Theological Seminary
  • Walter Morrill, Hanover College
  • Randy Neuman, Huntington University
  • Rob Gratz, Manchester University
  • Cathy Salyers, Saint Joseph’s College of Indiana
  • Robert Hodge,Taylor University
  • Mary Persyn, Valparaiso University

PALNI Hall of Fame

  • Karl Stutzman, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary
  • James Bell, Anderson University
  • Amanda Starkel, Butler University
  • Franny Gaede, Butler University
  • Janice Gustaferro, Butler University
  • Josh Petrusa, Butler University
  • Richard Lammert, Concordia Theological Seminary
  • Brooke Cox, DePauw University
  • Bruce Sanders, DePauw University
  • Caroline Gilson, DePauw University
  • Ruth Szpunar, DePauw University
  • Sherri Parker, DePauw University
  • Sudha Anand, DePauw University
  • Jessica Mahoney, Franklin College
  • Susan Leach-Murray, Franklin College
  • Eric Bradley, Goshen College
  • Joe Springer, Goshen College
  • Rhoda Palmer, Grace College and Theological Seminary
  • Heather Loehr, Hanover College
  • Randy Neuman, Huntington University
  • Darla Haines, Manchester University
  • Doris Stephenson, Manchester University
  • Edward Mandity, Marian University
  • Colleen Gocken, MCLS
  • Susan Fipps, MCLS
  • Shawn Denny, Taylor University
  • Lauren Magnuson, Trine University/PALNI
  • Barb Chen, University of Saint Francis
  • Maureen McMahan, University of Saint Francis
  • Noah Brubaker, University of Indianapolis/PALNI

Outstanding Achievement Award for Leadership in Deep Collaboration – 2017

  • Julie Miller, Butler University
  • Fritz Hartman, Goshen College
  • Anita Gray, Huntington University

Lifetime Visionary Award for Leadership in Deep Collaboration

  • Eileen Saner, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary
  • Dan Bowell, Taylor University

Heart of PALNI Award

  • Carly Dannenmueller, PALNI & Butler University
  • Megan West, PALNI

PALNI Celebrates 25 Years of Success

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana Inc. (PALNI) celebrated its 25th anniversary with a day-long event, strategic planning, and an awards reception May 24th, 2017 at Marian University’s Allison Mansion. The organization has successfully collaborated to support innovation, learning, and efficiency for all PALNI institutions since 1992.

25th Celebration Photo
Brooke Cox, DePauw University Librarian, smiles as she receives her induction to the PALNI Hall of Fame award at the 25th Anniversary awards session. (Photo by: Megan West/PALNI)

The PALNI Hall of Fame award was bestowed upon organizational members who’ve demonstrated exemplary service throughout the lifetime of the PALNI collaboration. Other awards given were the PALNI Leadership in Deep Collaboration, PALNI Lifetime Vision, and the Heart of PALNI Award embodying the collaborative character of PALNI. The awards were developed from the input of all library staff.

The celebration’s highlight was the historically-themed luncheon where founding members and strategic influencers Mary Persyn, Walter Morrill, Eileen Saner, and Tom Kirk shared memories from the pioneering beginnings. Former Hanover Director, Morrill, tearfully spoke of approaching the Lilly Endowment to ask for the organization’s initial funding. “It really is difficult to go back and think of all the good times we had together (…) maybe one of the toughest was one day, a group of us descended on the Lilly Endowment Incorporated on North Meridian. We came to the very central part of the state, hats in hand, with a great deal of trepidation at that time, we approached the Lilly Endowment, Inc. (…) It was enough to found PALNI.”

Founding members (Left-to-right: Mary Persyn, Eileen Saner, Robert Hodge, Ron Schuetz, Cathy Salyers) reminisce as colleagues share stories of PALNI’s early beginnings at the 25th Anniversary luncheon. (Photo by: Megan West/PALNI)

Former Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary’s Director, Eileen Saner, brought some levity to the room with her story about how PALNI celebrated, “all of a sudden, there was a Scottish bagpiper in full regalia. He came into the room playing, very loudly, traditional Celtic music.” Instantly, the event planners in the room regretted not booking a Celtic bagpiper for the 25th celebration as well.

PALNI Executive Director Kirsten Leonard (left) and Assistant Director Noah Brubaker (right) share a laugh during the 25th Anniversary celebration. (Photo by: Megan West/PALNI)

PALNI Executive Director Kirsten Leonard (left) and Assistant Director Noah Brubaker (right) share a laugh during the 25th Anniversary celebration. (Photo by: Megan West/PALNI)PALNI has embarked on new initiatives well beyond the traditional library to support assessment, scholarly communication, and instructional technology, among others. The PALNI board of directors has committed to “deep collaboration” between PALNI institutions, providing better service to students and faculty by sharing resources to reduce duplication and fuel innovation. Kirsten Leonard, the PALNI Executive Director, “PALNI is a trailblazer in working together at scale. Consortia worldwide are looking to PALNI for guidance and for what new services we will develop next.”

Introducing “Scholarly Communication at Scale” blog 

PALNI Scholarly Communications Director Amanda Hurford has built upon the past efforts of PALNI members and staff to update and operationalize the blog, Scholarly Communication at Scale, http://scholcomm.palni.org/.

Scholarly Communication at Scale’s specific purpose is to provide scholarly communication information in a way that is relevant and digestible to seekers of all types and skill levels, and scalable to institutions of various size and experience.  Initiatives and information to be covered include open access, scholarly publishing, institutional repositories, affordable education initiatives, digitization, preservation, copyright, and author’s rights, among others.

Many PALNI members and outside readers may be interested in scholarly communications, but don’t have time to research topics in this evolving field.  As PALNI’s Scholarly Communications Director, Amanda Hurford has committed to staying abreast and sharing  pertinent [or the most influential] schol comm news, scholarship, and professional development activities by aggregating vital news from many sources in one place.

The site uses a plugin called PressForward, which allows it to collect content via a feed reader and a bookmarklet tool from sources such as The Idealis, The Scholarly Kitchen, In the Open, Creative Commons, SPARC, various open access journals, and more.

You can subscribe to get an email for every post, or PALNI members may wait for a weekly digest via the Hub.  Please contact PALNI Scholarly Communications Director Amanda Hurford for more information.

Written by: Amanda Hurford, Scholarly Communications Director

OCLC WorldShare Management Services expands mobile capabilities

New Digby app increases productivity for student library workers

Snapshot:

“We partnered closely with member libraries in the PALNI consortium to develop and pilot the Digby app to ensure that it delivered the right experience and simplified their work. Their input was invaluable in making this app user-friendly. We look forward to working with our members to enhance and refine this app, and to find other opportunities to leverage the power of WMS,” said Sauer-Games.

Staff and student library workers from Butler University Libraries, part of PALNI, were among those who provided advice and input in development, and then tested the Digby app before the pilot ended last month. According to Laina Ridenour, Collection Management Associate, Butler University Libraries, student workers found the app extremely useful. “My students have asked me almost daily when they can have the (Digby) app again,” she said.

Read more >>>

Written by: OCLC

PALNI Library Innovation 2016 Grantees and Call for 2017 PALNI Library Innovation Grant Applications

The second annual PALNI Library Innovation Grant cycle awarded funding to three programs in February of this year. We have already received inspiration reports from the projects and look forward to seeing more in the next PALNI Library Innovation Grant cycle.  The funding provided by PALNI Library Innovation Grants aims to optimize library resources and services in ways that significantly expand the ability of supported organizations to support teaching and learning at PALNI institutions.  Funded programs, projects, and initiatives must align with PALNI strategic priorities and support PALNI deep collaboration.

2016 Grant Recipients

Heather Loehr, Hanover College

Information Now! On-demand and Embedded Learning Modules for Information Literacy Instruction

infonowThe project will purchase the recently published graphic novel, Information Now: A Graphic Guide to Student Research (Upson,
Hall, Cannon, University of Chicago Press 2015), for 350 first year students, to offer a comprehensive, fun, and engaging mini-course in information literacy skills. The Coordinator of Library Instruction, and the Director of the Center for Learning and Teaching, plan to adopt this title as a required text for first-year students, and to use it as the basis developing seven learning modules which librarians may use to supplement direct or embedded instruction, faculty can adopt for DIY-instruction in any course, or which students may use independently for self-learning. Each module will incorporate a lesson plan, tutorials in various media, critical thinking exercises, and assessment tools. We will work with a pilot group of faculty in the First Year Experience, and in each WSAC area: Writing 1, Writing 2, and Speaking, who will volunteer to collaborate with librarians on the implementation and assessment of the modules in their courses. Materials developed will be shared to other PALNI member libraries.

For more information see the LibGuide on the Project http://libguides.hanover.edu/infonow

Tim Salm, Saint Joseph’s College

Re-Engineering an Academic Library for Student Success

timSaint Joseph’s College is developing and hosting an eight-part workshop series focusing on productivity and creativity tools
specific to academic work products. Each workshop will be recorded as well so as to support future blended learning activities on-campus. The workshop series is designed to assist students in improving their skills and knowledge specific to desktop publishing, graphic design, slideshow presentations, college-level research, interlibrary loan, alert notifications, spreadsheets, and relational databases. It is through these new skills and knowledge that students will be better prepared to meet the challenges present in their current studies and their future careers. Tim Salm has been sharing reports and samples of the workshop outcomes as the work progresses. The workshops will be made available to the PALNI libraries to spur further innovation.

Caroline Gilson, Associate Dean of Libraries and Coordinator, Prevo Science Library, DePauw University

Learning Together: Continued Exploration of Arduino & Related Emerging Technologies29019629366_ca4bf4908a_z29052771115_527659b955_z

This grant funded attendance at a weeklong SparkFun Electronics workshop (Microcontrollers for Educators, July 11-15, 2016; https://learn.sparkfun.com/events/116  ) in Niwot, Colorado for PALNI librarians and supported project exploration and creation after the workshop. The July 2016 SparkFun workshop will continue the conversation among the participants and across PALNI on how librarians can work together to explore and create emerging technology projects. Funds will also help with developing and constructing physical projects after the workshop. (Previous PALNI Innovation grant funds have funded the July 2016 workshop registration fees for three librarians.) One of the outcomes of the workshop was demonstrated at CAMP RIO in the creation of a wearable technology item.

Indiana Librarians Gather for Two Day Camp Themed Workshop

Over a campfire on a warm August evening friends shared stories, s’mores, and… insights into pressing librarian topics such as the ACRL information literacy framework. On August 11th and 12th, 2016, 25 librarians employed by member schools of the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) gathered together for a two day camp adventure, supported by the Reference, Instruction and Outreach (RIO) group of PALNI. Camp RIO was held at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center, a 1,100 acre nature sanctuary located near Goshen College in Northern Indiana. Each session came with pre-readings and reflection time in nature, giving participants a chance to engage in discussion and activities around 3 central themes: library anxiety, evaluating scholarly sources, and work/life balance, as well as the opportunity to attend additional break-out sessions to ponder serendipity in research, assessment, and social media.

The RIO Coordinators and Steering Committee led the workshop sessions as well as a wide range of camping activities, such as crafts, hiking, and a book club discussion. Different teaching methods were demonstrated, and campers walked away with new practices and approaches. Librarians in PALNI schools work closely together on shared projects, but meet only one to two times a year in person. Camp RIO provided an opportunity to not just share professional ideals but to grow closer together as a peer group.

Written by: Information Fluency Coordinator, Ruth Szpunar