May 15, 2013 (Vol. 19, No. 10) – People

Answerland Salutes Alison Kastner and Thea Evenstad

Alison Kastner

The Answerland Quality Team presented two notable transcript awards at the Oregon Virtual Reference Summit, held at the Oregon Garden on Friday, May 3, 2013. We were delighted to celebrate the excellent work of Alison Kastner and Thea Evenstad in front of an in-person gathering of their virtual reference colleagues. Alison and Thea received flowers, a certificate signed by the State Librarian and Caleb Tucker-Raymond, and a letter acknowledging the excellence of their work.

Thea Evenstad

You can read the full announcement for both Alison’s and Thea’s work, as well as their award-winning transcripts, at http://www.answerland.org/awards.

It is also worth mentioning that Answerland staffers recommended these transcripts to the Quality Team. See a chat, email or text transcript that you think is an outstanding example of virtual reference work? Feel free to bring it to the attention of a member of the Quality Team.  -Stephanie Debner, Mt. Hood Community College Library (stephanie.debner@mhcc.edu),Barbara O’Neill, Washington County Cooperative Library Services (barbarao@wccls.org) Emily Papagni, Multnomah County Library (emilyp@multco.us)

New Member Profile–Meet Barratt Miller

Barratt Miller

I was born and raised outside of Sacramento, California, but fell in love with Oregon when I moved north to study at Willamette University. After graduating in 2010 with a BA in English and a minor in music, I headed directly to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to get my master’s degree in LIS. I graduated in May 2012 with an emphasis in youth services librarianship.

At U of I, I had an assistantship at the Education & Social Science Library, where I answered reference questions in every social science discipline you can imagine–including occult studies. I spent my first year at ESSL cataloging the library’s test collection and my second year working with the School Collection, the second-largest collection of children’s literature in North America.

As a volunteer and two-time practicum student at The Urbana Free Library, I spent plenty of time in the adult, teen, and children’s departments. In addition to answering questions at all of the library’s reference desks, I co-founded the teen manga club, selected manga for the library’s collection, and transferred a collection of historical children’s books to the U of I Library.

I’ve been the Youth Services Librarian at the Crook County Library since July 2012, fulfilling my post-grad dream of returning to Oregon. I love that I get to do a little bit of everything in my current position: circulation, reference, collection development, children’s programs, teen programs, and outreach. I’m a member of OLA’s Children’s Services Division (CSD) and Oregon Young Adult Network (OYAN).

As a freelance book reviewer for The Horn Book Guide, I read and review plenty of juvenile science fiction and fantasy novels. When left to my own devices, I read mostly romance, fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, young adult, and children’s books. My other hobbies include cooking, knitting, yoga, and hanging out with my dog.

May 1, 2013 (Vol. 19, No. 9) – People

Real World Librarian Hero

Sean Garvey with grateful library patron Paul Teyler

At the annual conference, one of the things that struck me the most was hearing the news that Sean Garvey, Adult Services Librarian at Tigard Public Library, saved a life at his library.

Back in January library patron Paul Teylor had a heart attack in the library.  Sean and another patron (who happened to be a doctor) took action.  Sean got the the library’s on-site automated external defibrillator (AED) and hooked Paul up.

Sean says that Paul comes into the library regularly and that his speedy recovery has been amazing.

Sean’s message to other librarians is “the only thing I would like to say to my fellow librarians is try to have your institution or municipality provide your staff with CPR/AED training.  I happened to receive training only a week prior to this incident.  It really helped me in responding in such a level-headed manner.”

More details are in an article in the local Tigard newspaper. We always talk about how libraries change lives. It’s true. And sometimes librarians save lives. Emily Papagni, Multnomah County Library

New Member Profile

Rachel Correll

My name is Rachel Correll and I love books.

Little did I know it at the time, but my library career began when I was hired as a part-time library assistant at a law firm in Portland in 2006. I was working on my Bachelor’s degree in Art History at Portland State, debating if I really wanted to work toward a Doctorate. Working in a library made me realize that I had another option: library school. I decided to move to New York City to attend Pratt Institute to pursue a dual-degree program in Library Science and Art History (I just couldn’t leave my other passion behind). While in New York, my days were filled studying under the sky-painted ceilings of the New York Public Library and interning at the Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I enrolled in courses that took me all over NYC and proudly boasted six library cards.

Missing my green home state (and family), I moved back to Oregon in 2011. Since then I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of libraries: public, academic, and private. I am currently a Research/Catalog Librarian at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, a law firm based in Portland. I do legal research, catalog and process materials, and run public records searches on incoming clients.

It has been such a pleasure to move back to Portland as it is my favorite city to live in. I live in an apartment in Hillsdale with my husband and my cat Sophia. I fill my free time with reading, walking, going to the cinema, and visiting my local branch of the public library. Currently I’m rereading one of my favorite graphic novel series, Fables.
I’ve been connecting with Portland librarians of all types, but would love to meet more of you throughout the state. Feel free to contact me at jrcorrell@gmail.com.

April 1, 2013 (Vol. 19, No. 7) – People

Lampman Honoree Announced

Lampman Chair Esther Moberg with Honoree Nell Colburn

For over 40 years, Nell Colburn has been a joyful, calm, and effervescent presence in the Oregon library world. She is rightly called “The Book Fairy” by children in Multnomah County who have had her share stories, rhymes and songs with them.

Her goal of putting not just any book, but really great books in the hands of children resulted in her co-coordinating the Raising a Reader program in Multnomah County for many years. The Raising a Reader program partners with over 400 early childcare classrooms and reaches approximately 40,000 children, parents, teachers, and caregivers every year. Nell has also been the story time training coordinator for Multnomah County for over ten years, providing library staff with the tools and training needed for consistent excellence in story times throughout Multnomah County.

In 2009, Nell served on the Caldecott Committee and together with her committee helped select the best illustrated book of the year, The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes. Nell also co-wrote an early literacy column for School Library Journal for over nine years, reaching a national audience of librarians. Nell has a high standard of excellence with the distinction of being the easily recognized and remembered ‘Book Fairy’, bringing stories to life for children and their caregivers. -Esther Moberg, Lampman Award Chair

New Member Profile – Introducing Nate Pedersen

Nate Pedersen

I work as a Community Librarian with Deschutes Public Library in Bend, Oregon.  I was hired in June of 2012 after working for a year as a reference librarian and writing tutor at Central Oregon Community College.  I provide adult reference services and conduct outreach to a variety of community groups and organizations.  I often work with digital downloads, tablets, and eReaders.

I earned my MLS degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2005.  I then spent several years working in the rare book trade, primarily in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Edinburgh, Scotland. My undergraduate degree, also from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, is in anthropology.

I began freelancing part-time as a journalist in 2008.  My articles have appeared in a variety of international newspapers and magazines.  I am a regular contributor to special publications of our local paper, the Bend Bulletin, and to the bibliophile magazine Fine Books & Collections.

I maintain an active interest in history and I serve on the Board of Directors for the Deschutes Historical Society and Museum.

I live on the west side of Bend with my wife, April Tucholke, a young adult author, and our dogs.  Outside of work, I enjoy trail running, hiking, watching old films, eating good food, and playing fast Irish music. -Nate Pedersen, Deschutes Public Library, nathanp@deschuteslibrary.org

March 15, 2013 (Vol. 19, No. 6) – People

New Member Profile – Meet Roxanne Nagy

Roxanne Nagy

Hi, I’m Roxanne Nagy.  I’m a 2009 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s MLIS program. I grew up just outside of Pittsburgh, PA and spent my college career living and working in the city.  I relocated to Portland, Oregon with my husband in 2010, following a job offer he received. There are many things I really miss about the East, but Portland is my home and will remain so for the foreseeable future.  Would you believe I even love the weather here?

I was inspired to follow a career in the library because of a wonderful job I had working in the stacks department of Pitt’s Hillman Library.  I loved working with the public and I always felt I ‘belonged’ with my co-workers.  Library people are definitely some of the best around! I currently work as a circulation assistant at the wonderful Oregon City Public Library.  In addition, I volunteer as a cataloger of rare and unique materials at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland.  It’s been a difficult road, but I am definitely looking to expand my career in the near future.

I enjoy hiking, biking, running, and dancing, but I am also an avid knitter and potter.  I enjoy gourmet cooking, and I love the opportunity I have to come across scores of cookbooks at my circulation position.  I also read, of course, and I just finished Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”.  McCarthy is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and I love the Southern Gothic genre. I also really like reading juvenile and  young adult fiction, because I feel it is something I missed out on as a teen, and it helps me recommend books to patrons I meet.

I am now a member of the Oregon Author’s Committee but I hope to soon become involved with L-net.  I would love to chat about library and random things, feel free to contact me!  RoxanneSNagy@gmail.com

March 1, 2013 (Vol. 19, No. 5) – People

Elke Bruton Honored
I’m pleased to announce that Elke Bruton, Public Services Librarian at the Oregon State Library Talking Book and Braille Services, was awarded the Julie Klauber Award.

This award is given to the person who works with Keystone Library Automation System (KLAS) in their daily job functions and shows outstanding service to their library. KLAS  provides a quality integrated library system for libraries including talking book libraries,  resource centers, and associations. Through Elke.s tenure at the State Library she has streamlined functions and provided new means of serving our patrons more efficiently through the use of KLAS. Elke will be attending the KLAS Users’ Conference in Chicago  this April. Congratulations Elke! — Katie Anderson, Oregon State Library

February 1, 2013 (Vol. 19, No. 3) – People

Beaverton Library Welcomes Melissa Little
Beaverton City Library is pleased to introduce our new Circulation Manager, Melissa Little. Melissa previously worked as the Assistant Manager for Circulation/Customer Service with the Palos Verdes Library District in Southern California.  While working in this position, she completed the Master in Library Science program through San Jose State University’s distance program.  Prior to pursuing a career as a librarian, Melissa worked in bookstore management for ten years.  She has a wealth of experience leading teams through change and ensuring that staff provide knowledgeable, courteous service. Among her many tasks Melissa will be helping Beaverton libraries incorporate automated materials handling in March. Her love of hiking and the natural world drew her to Oregon.  -Ed House, Beaverton City Library

Reference Round Table Introduces Training Coordinator Yen Tran
I am pleased to announce that the Reference Round Table has a new training coordinator, Yen Tran.

Ngoc-Yen (Yen) Tran is the Undergraduate Services Librarian at the University of Oregon. In her role she manages the staff and daily operations of a small library within a residence hall and is the full-time on-site librarian there. Yen is not afraid to try new things in her library instruction sessions and is always looking for ways to improve her instruction skills; you’ll find her most often at outreach and instruction sessions/webinars. She graduated with her MLIS from the University of Washington’s iSchool and has a Bachelor’s in English and art history.

Yen will be organizing trainings on reference topics for the Reference Round Table and the Oregon library reference community. Stay tuned for more information. Welcome, Yen, and thank you!

Please feel free to contact me if you’d like to get involved with the RRT. -Erin Finot, Reference Round Table Chair, erin.m.finot@ci.eugene.or.us

November 15, 2012 (Vol. 18, No. 22) – People

New Member Profile:  Michael Grutchfield

Michael Grutchfield

I’m Michael Grutchfield, a long-time Portland resident and recent MLIS and Master of Archival Studies from the University of British Columbia’s School of Library, Archival and Information Studies. I come from library roots, both of my parents worked for the New York Public Library – my father in Systems and my mother in Manuscripts.

I first moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1988, when I started my bachelor’s degree at The Evergreen State College in Olympia. I returned to New York in 1999 to work in film, the focus of my undergraduate studies, but missed Portland so much I came back in 2001. Shortly thereafter, I began work on a Master’s in History at Portland State, completed in 2006, and moved to Chapel Hill, NC to join the PhD program at the University of North Carolina. This gave me the opportunity to spend two summers in Germany, doing dissertation research and language studies, the first in Freiburg and the second in Berlin. At some point, it became clear that my real path was librarianship and I chose to return to the region by enrolling at UBC in 2009. During my studies at UBC, I worked at the Koerner Library for Humanities and Social Science, doing in-person and chat reference and leading library instruction courses. I also was able to put my German studies to use in helping to develop a database of archival terminology for InterPARES, the international project to research permanent authentic records in electronic systems.

Since arriving in Portland, I have devoted much time to hunting for library work, which remains elusive, although I hope to be able to volunteer for the online reference service “Answerland” (formerly L-Net) in the coming months. I recently joined the board of Oregon SLA as its Ethics Ambassador, and I will be assisting with OLA’s archival task force, to organize and preserve OLA’s documentary heritage.

I read primarily non-fiction, especially academic history and political science, with some science fiction (generally older) thrown in for entertainment. Those interested in my reading habits may look at my goodreads profile at where I’ll be happy to add any local librarians to my “friends list.”

November 1, 2012 (Vol. 18, No. 21) – People

Judy Anderson Wins Greey Award
Congratulations to Judy Anderson, 2012 winner of ORSLA’s Kathy Greey Memorial Award.

Judy is a Reference & Instruction Librarian at Concordia University.  She has been an SLA member since  1998, and an active ORSLA member.  Judy took on the role of ORSLA President in 2009 when our incoming president unexpectedly moved away.  As Past President, she organized the SLA West Coast Chapters Reception at the annual conference in Philadelphia and fund-raised enough to cover the costs of the entire event!  She has continued to support ORSLA as an active member and advisor to new board members.

We are grateful that Judy is a part of the Oregon library community and proud to present her the Kathy Greey Award. -Amy Maule, ORSLA President 2012

Emily Ford Recognized for Virtual Reference Virtuosity

Emily Ford

Answerland, Oregon’s Statewide Virtual Reference Service, recognizes Emily Ford at Portland State University Library for her excellent virtual reference work while staffing the service in August 2012. Emily’s transcript is online.

In this transcript, the patron asked for help in requesting a book from the Mt. Angel Public Library for pick up at the Silver Falls Library District. Emily conducted a brief reference interview with the patron to find out where the patron was in the process, including requesting the URL of the page where the patron was trying to place the hold, so they both could (literally) be on the same page. Emily determined that the patron was looking at a record for an e-book. After clarifying that a print version was what was desired, Emily walked the patron through how to make the request, asking questions as
they went along to make sure the patron was with her at each step. The patron was able to place the hold, and thanked Emily effusively and with many exclamation points (!!!!!!!). She concluded the chat with an offer of more help, which the patron declined.

The Quality Team is impressed with Emily’s interaction with the patron throughout this chat. Though the request seemed straightforward, Emily took the time to conduct a reference interview to make sure that she and the patron were starting off from the same point. She explained to the patron why the patron was having trouble requesting the title, and took ownership of using “librarian speak” when the patron was confused
about the distinction between an e-book and a print version. Emily let the patron set the tone of the interaction: it was clear early on that the patron was a big fan of exclamation points and emoticons, which Emily easily matched.

As an expression of our appreciation, Emily was presented with flowers and a certificate at the ACRL-OR/WA Fall Conference at Menucha. Please join us in congratulating her!
-The Answerland Quality Team: Stephanie Debner, Mt. Hood Community College Library.Barbara O’Neill, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Emily Papagni, Multnomah County Library.

October 1, 2012 (Vol. 18, No. 19) – People

Shelly Jarman Recognized for L-Net Excellence

Shelly Jarman

L-net, Oregon’s Statewide Digital Reference Project, recognizes Shelly Jarman at Multnomah County Library for her excellent digital reference work while staffing the service in August 2012. Shelly’s transcript is online at http://www.oregonlibraries.net/notable .

Emily-Jane Dawson at Multnomah County Library brought this transcript to the Quality Team’s attention. She wrote to us:

Last week during one of my Ask the Librarian shifts, I picked up an L-net question that Shelly had forwarded from chat. It was a difficult question from a patron who was seeking a newspaper photograph of her husband taken during his childhood.  Shelly’s reference interview was excellent, as were her explanations to the patron about how newspaper archives work and about library policy regarding access to the Oregonian Historical. Shelly wrote in completely patron-friendly non-technical terms, she did some searching for the patron while they were in chat, and when that was unsuccessful she very gracefully offered to have another library staff person follow up. Throughout the entire interaction, Shelly was warm, knowledgeable, and provided the exact same feeling of calm and helpful competence that I have seen her display in face-to-face interactions with patrons.

When I picked up the question, I had everything I needed to follow up — and though I didn’t find the photograph the patron asked about, I was able to do a reasonably thorough search and provide the patron with a little more information and some options about what they might do next. It was a pleasure to follow Shelly’s on this question, and I felt very supported by her initial work with the patron.

When the Quality Team reviewed Shelly’s transcript, we found that we couldn’t agree more with Emily-Jane’s comments.  We extend our gratitude to Emily-Jane for alerting us to this excellent transcript. All L-net staffers are welcome to nominate transcripts that exemplify high quality digital reference service; please send nominations to any member of the Quality Team.

As an expression of our appreciation, Shelly was presented with flowers and a  certificate at a weekly team meeting. Please join us in congratulating her!

The L-net Quality Team:  Stephanie Debner, Mt. Hood Community College Library; Barbara O’Neill, Washington County Cooperative Library Services;
Emily Papagni, Multnomah County Library

Heather McNeil Publishes Book
If you’re looking for early literacy activities to do at storytime or to recommend to parents you might find plenty of new ideas in Read, Rhyme and Romp: Early Literacy Skills and Activities for Librarians, Teachers, and Parents by Heather McNeil, Youth Services Manager for Deschutes Public Library in Bend.

Heather used her over 30 years of experience as a storytime presenter, early literacy trainer, and professional storyteller to create this book of recommended activities and books.  Each chapter is divided into sections of “What Can You Do?” at home, at preschool, and at the library.  Personal anecdotes about children, including interactions based on books with her daughter, introduce each of the early literacy skills.  You’ll also find chapters on how to design a successful storytime, research on early literacy, and recommended websites and professional resources.

This is Heather’s third book; the first two were based on her experiences of collecting stories in Kenya (Hyena and the Moon) and Scotland (The Celtic Breeze: Stories of the Otherworld from Scotland, Ireland and Wales).

September 1, 2012 (Vol. 18, No. 17) – People

New Member Profile – Sara Q. Thompson

Sara Q. Thompson

Sara Q. Thompson moved back to Oregon this summer after several years in the Midwest to begin work as the Reference and Instruction Librarian at OSU-Cascades in Bend. She previously juggled library, web, and iPad training as the Ed Tech Librarian for Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa. Before that she worked closely with visiting international librarians at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).  Her earlier stint in Oregon included being a student at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande and working for Valley Library at OSU in Corvallis. Now that she’s living in the middle of the state, she hopes to become a well-rounded Oregonian.

As a former Air Force brat, Sara says she has fulfilled her lifetime moving quota. She and her husband, Mark Lindner, are looking forward to making Bend their permanent home and have already embraced local volunteer opportunities. Mark is also a librarian – in fact, he and Sara met at GSLIS in Illinois.  When they’re not enjoying the outdoors, art, breweries and coffee shops of Bend, they can be found reading to each other and asking questions on twitter. Sara is @esquetee and Mark is @mrlindner. They are currently reading the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger, and will soon start reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins together in anticipation of a discussion group at the beautiful downtown Deschutes Public Library.

Sara is looking forward to working with the OLA communications committee on social media outreach and collaboration.  If you would like to chat about libraries, social media, or the wonders of Central Oregon, contact her at sara.q.thompson@gmail.com.