Here are my presentation slides for my sessions coming up at the Charleston Conference, November 6th through the 10th. Here is the full schedule - one of the best library conferences on this - or any other planet!
History Has Its Eyes on You: Lighthouses and Libraries Weathering Storms of Change - or is being the Public Good Good Enough?
Wednesday November 8, 2017 11:35am - 12:15pm
Citadel Green Room South, Embassy Suites Hotel 337 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29403
Slides link: http://tinyurl.com/CHS17CSHistory
Also check out the Podcast that features this program: http://atgthepodcast.libsyn.com/podcast/atgthepodcast-038-corey-seeman-interview
NOTE: This is an adaptation of my keynote at the Great Lakes Resource Sharing Conference last June in Chicago.
For hundreds of years, the United States has been protected by two venerable institutions. Lighthouses have served as a beacon on the shores to guide ships carrying both people and cargo to a safe harbor. Libraries have served as a beacon to guide people to books, magazines, journals, reference works, recordings and other media for enlightenment, education and enjoyment. Both lighthouses and libraries have enjoyed their status as 'public goods' with little question in regards to the rationale for funding and support. Since most ships have navigation systems and we have all library items on our smartphone (we do right???), questions are being asked about the future of these two beacons.
Change impacting both lighthouses and libraries are remarkably similar. With automation and electrification, lighthouses transitioned to low-maintenance entities and many have been turned into historical museums across the country. Libraries have seen tremendous changes as collections became increasingly electronic over the past two years. The value proposition libraries play on campuses has changed - along with their ability to support community members in the present and many years in the future. While 'what's past is prologue' helps set the scene, the reality laid before both is to adapt or 'wither away on the vine.'
In this presentation, we will look at the parallel paths taken by both lighthouses and libraries in fulfilling their self-mandated missions. To that end, we will look more closely at the meaning of a 'public good' and the demands that librarians have in supporting both current use and future use of collections as we balance between community needs and aspirations. How librarians (and lighthouse keepers) face the coming storm will have a tremendous impact on future generations of our community members.
What's Past Is Possible: Opportunities and Perspectives for Library Alumni Resources
Thursday November 9, 2017 11:35am - 12:15pm
Grand Ballroom 3, Gaillard Center 95 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC 29401
Slides Link: http://tinyurl.com/CHS17CSAlumni
Presentation with Jo-Anne Hogan (MLIS, Publisher, Business for ProQuest)
When considering the theme "What's Past is Prologue," there might not be a better application than to think of former students at our colleges and universities. As they venture off into the role of campus alumni, their information needs become complicated when they lose access to the wealth of electronic resources that are available at most campuses. Having resources at hand while a student is wonderful, but the grim reality of having little available to them upon graduation can be a bit of a let down. A growing number of colleges and universities are offering alumni a suite of electronic resources that are either bundled as part of their existing package, negotiated or purchased separately. The value to the vendor may be as an additional revenue line or exposure to a larger population. This might be especially true in business where the need for information and news resources is ongoing. The value to the library may be as a connection to a mission of lifelong learning that can partner with other aspects of the school. Even in a time of tight resource budgets, this can be a good investment by the library.
Kresge Library Services (Michigan) and ProQuest are no strangers to alumni resources. Kresge Library Services (of the Ross School of Business) has long been providing resources to alumni and is featured as an key lifelong learning element of the school. ProQuest has provided a number of alumni packages to libraries over the years as well. In this presentation, we will hear from a library and a vendor in how they approach alumni researchers, resources and what opportunities they provide to these organizations.
Wednesday November 8, 2017 3:30pm - 4:10pm
Cypress South, Courtyard Marriott Hotel 125 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC 29401
Slides Link: http://tinyurl.com/CHS17CritBiz
- Heather Howard, Assistant Professor of Library Science & Business Information Specialist, Parrish Library of Management & Economics, Purdue University Libraries
- Katherine Macy, Business Librarian, IUPUI
- Corey Seeman, Director, Kresge Library Services, University of Michigan
- Alyson Vaalar, Business Librarian, Texas A&M
All academic librarians perform a balancing act between the needs of patrons, licensing restrictions, and the missions of our libraries. As part of the work to develop our campus collections, academic business librarians work with both schools and commercial vendors to provide resources that our business students and faculty require. Business publishers charge academic customers pennies on the dollar for access, but are likely to seek protections for their intellectual content by placing usage restrictions that run counter to what librarians would prefer. This can cause difficulties for librarians in serving their unique populations. This also can run counter to the central principals of “Critical Librarianship”, which is based on a foundation of social justice, the belief that everyone deserves equal opportunities and basic economic, political, and social rights. Balancing the needs of the publishers and business school communities with the principals of critical librarianship is a great challenge for everyone who serves these communities. Business librarians from across the US will explore ways in which collections and critical librarianship collide. Topics to be covered include critical cataloging, the effects of database licenses on the intersection of theoretical academic work and practical business activities, challenges faced by public institutions supporting community entrepreneurs, and how the integration of critical pedagogy with information and data literacies can bring awareness to problems within current collections such as access to information, issues in data collection, and information creation. Through discussion, we hope to provide insight to ways in which libraries, as intermediaries between patrons and vendors, can help address these difficult problems.
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