Getting different perspectives in the Library

My previous blog treated one of my early morning walks through the library with no one around and with only my observations and my imagination to lead me to a few guesses about what had occurred in the library the evening before.

Other walks I make through the library reveal activities one would expect, but there also are always surprises. Today was one of those days. My reference librarian Katherine came up to me and asked, with a smile on her face, if I had been up to the second floor to see what one of the art classes was doing up there. This had me a bit concerned because normally when an art class visits the oversize books in our art collection seem to escape from their organized shelves and migrate all around the second floor. As I said in my previous blog, it sometimes seems like a hurricane has hit. Katherine assured me this was not the case this time, but that there were art students working all around the second floor. I had to see for myself, and what I indeed found were students with their sketch pads all around the second floor--some sitting on the floor, some in chairs, and even some on the top of our shelving.I learned from their professor, who was accompanying them, that they were observing and sketching various spaces in the library that allowed them to understand and illustrate "perspective." Aisles between ranges of bookshelves, long expanses of floor space, and many other areas on the library's second floor gave them the opportunity to illustrate a variety of perspectives. Once again it was a casual walk for me around the second floor, but just as the art students were observing different perspectives, so was I.

Just beyond one of the artists, I observed four students using the library catalog to identify books or other material probably for a more traditional library research project. I then passed one of the corner study rooms just as a scheduled behavioral science class was finishing up. And finally I returned shortly after noontime to a busy first floor where other learning activities, and even some social ones, were going on.

The learning activities of the art students today contributed in yet another way to help the Proctor Library facilty grow as an active center of learning. I am pleased to have had them working here and that we all have been able to enhance our perspectives on the Library.

And what will I find in the morning?

I often tend to be the first member of the library staff to arrive in the morning, and on those days when I am actually awake as I turn on the lights and walk the library spaces, I look around the various areas and try to determine what it was like the night before. I can generally tell that it was a slow night when I find most of the chairs are still in place and the trash cans still have room for more trash. Other mornings all the trash cans are overflowing, and I find such things as a chalk board in one of the study rooms completely filled with written evidence that a study group had been hard at work the night before. Another room may have a couple DVDs scattered by the player, and then I take some time to check the titles and try to guess whether the group was working an assignment or just relaxing. Leftover drink containers and sometimes even a pizza box (even though consumption of food is “not allowed”) also help me imagine what actually was going on.

Other mornings I walk by our large collection of oversized art books, and the area appears like Hurricane Katrina has just passed through. It is clear the art history students have an assignment due in the morning, and several of them had a field day moving the heavy art books around on the tops of our low shelving units. The books are too heavy to transport out of or even within the Library, so most of their work is done right near the collection

Rearrangement of furniture is also intriguing. For example it was clear this morning that a class using our large instruction room broke themselves down into smaller work groups, because I found three separate circles of chairs spread out across the second floor space.


From experience I knew in an instant who had been there – the Children’s Literature class from the Education Department. This class always seems to leave clear evidence. Earlier in the semester, we found cut-out, paper gingerbread men attached to all those areas of our collection containing children’s books or information about children’s books. The instructor for this class always amazes me, because these paper figures appear but I never see her attaching them. I’m sure she can teach our military about stealth actions. However, I did find more evidence of her class this morning, including my friend here:
In other spaces our softer arm chairs have been moved into carrels or next to group study tables and have replaced the harder wood chairs. Sometimes even heavy tables have been moved to accommodate a bigger group. Blinds have been raised in some areas and lowered in others.

It is clear that the students are comfortable adjusting their environment and making themselves at home in the library. And even though I am observing this evidence in the early morning with not one of them present, it makes me happy to know we are there for them. It is a great way to start the day.

New look for the Proctor Library web pages

As the spring semester has now started up, students and faculty will notice a change in our Proctor Library web pages, beginning with the home page (http://www.flagler.edu/library ). We felt very good about our previous web pages, but as with anything there is always room for improvement. For example, we had built in some intentional duplication when the web pages were redesigned a couple years back, but we realized during several semesters of use that this duplication could sometimes be confusing and needed to be part of a change.

Reference & Instruction Librarian Blake Pridgen took on the responsibility of reviewing redesigning the pages, and he succeeded in launching the new set of pages January 7.

Blake took a hard look at our pages, undertook some investigation and study of other academic library web pages and library web page design in general, and he reworked our pages to make them even better to use. One will notice from the new design that many of the elements of the previous pages were retained, but Blake adjusted the look with the thought of making everything even easier. He added some new items as well. Now in the “Find Information” column on the home page, one can initiate a search specifically for “DVDs. CDs and VHSs” as easily as searching for books. And in the far right column one can check lists of both new book and video additions to the Library. And, of course, a link to this “Library Director’s Blog,” plus a link to Polaris, the Library’s research tutorial, also appear in that same column. Directly under the banner on the top of the home page, one will also find quick direct links to the heavily used College tools: “Flagler Home,” “Flagler Email,” “My.Flagler.Edu,” and “WebCT.”

Our set of Proctor Library web pages will always be considered a “work in progress,” and we will always be looking for improvements, so I hope any one who has ideas for improvements or adjustments to our existing pages will feel free to get in touch with the Library, or even directly with Blake. We will appreciate the help.

Seeing the Proctor Library in a Different Light

The normal bright lights in the Library were dimmed slightly following normal closing time on December 18, and the Library’s first floor was transformed from its normal role as a learning center into a venue for a wonderful holiday celebration.

The celebration was organized by the College’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness to honor those friends of the College who have supported the College and Library over the years, especially those donors who have recently made special gifts as a part of the current campaign celebrating the Proctor Library on its “Decade of Excellence.”

Attendees at the celebration were greeted upon arrival with a beautiful five foot tall flower arrangement occupying the center point on the Library’s marble entryway floor.

It also didn’t hurt that the same table supporting the arrangement also supported an inviting variety of dessert creations. We obviously suspended our normal prohibition against consumption of food in the Library…and everyone was certainly glad we did.

In addition, very creative and substantial hors d'oeuvres were prepared and served by an exceptional caterer and her team, and they were enjoyed by all. The whole affair was a wonderful way to celebrate both the holidays and the work of the Library. Many of the benefactors and other guests had their first real opportunity to visit and see the Library, and the Library staff had a chance to meet these people who care so much for Flagler College.

Library staffers Brian Nesselrode, Katherine Owens and Christine Wysocki

All of us clearly appreciate the initiative and work of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness in putting this celebration together. We also appreciate Library staffer Catherine Norwood for capturing the images of the celebration.

New Year’s Resolution met – at last

Well it is now January 7, 2008 so I am already late in meeting my New Year’s Resolution to post my blog more frequently and regularly than my postings (only 3 blogs) during the fall semester.

Actually I am still excited about how well things went in the Library during the fall semester. The Library continued to be a busy place through the semester with our gate count often recording 300 to 400 additional entries over last year’s average of about 2,464 entries per day. And a couple days (6 to be exact) the count went over the 3,100 mark.

Several days we also noted there were times when every one of the public computers on the first floor of the Library was in use, and we saw students “cruising” looking for a computer to become available. It reminded me of a shopping center parking lot during the holidays. We obviously will need to seriously consider adding some additional public computers on the first floor. Even the availability of WiFi and the increased use of laptops has not reduced the need for the public computers.

It is really wonderful to see the Library used as heavily as it has been during the fall semester, and the end of the semester completion of project and preparation for exams really made the Library a place where students felt comfortable gathering in group study and collaboration. It was another great semester.We're looking forward to a similarly great semester in the spring.

Library and Career Services working closely together

We have been very pleased that during the past couple weeks the Proctor Library and the Office of Career Services have been working out arrangements that will greatly help students gain improved access to information resources related to: identification of potential careers; resume and cover letter writing; interviewing techniques; graduate and law school testing aids; and other information associated with careers beyond Flagler. The Office of Career Services currently has a collection of over 150 print titles providing this important information, and this collection will be growing through the semester. You can browse this collection simply by visiting the Office of Career Services, located in Suite 253B, second floor of the Ringhaver Student Center. Also, visit the Office of Career Services web page http://www.flagler.edu/page2.aspx?id=2033 to learn more about the valuable support that can be provided.

Now if you can not visit Career Services to browse their collection of print titles, you can still locate titles they have there, as well as many other print and electronic books on career related information available through the Proctor Library by checking the Library’s Catalog in the library or remotely. Link is https://research.flagler.edu:2048/login?url=http://voyager.flagler.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First . All the titles within the Office of Career Services collection, as well as all those available through the Library, are listed, together with specific Location information. This will allow you obtain any item of interest either from Career Services or the Library.

Finally, at the beginning of the semester, the Library and Career Services jointly acquired access to a very interesting and information packed career database entitled Vault https://research.flagler.edu:2048/login?url=http://www.vault.com/cb/careerlib/careerlib_main.jsp?parrefer=6143 . We encourage you to look at it using the link provided. You can also find it listed on the Career Services web page and via the Proctor Library web page. If you have any problem using it or have any question, either Career Services or the Library can help you.

We hope these cooperative efforts between the Proctor Library and the Office of Career Services provide great value to you.

My Favorite Words in New Princeton Review Survey -- "Great library"

After reading a report in the local St. Augustine Record several days ago about Flagler College’s rankings in the most recent edition of Princeton Review’s "Best 366 Colleges," I could not wait until our print copy arrived so that I could read what the survey really said. The newspaper report indicated that Flagler ranked high on two very positive lists--“Best Southeastern Colleges” and “America’s Best Value Colleges.” Unfortunately, however, it also reported how Flagler was included on two less flattering lists—“Their Students (Almost) Never Study” and “Is it Food?” The newspaper report seemed to dwell a bit too long on each of these elements for me.

Fortunately, I was very pleased when I found that the print copy of the book provided a quite positive view overall on Flagler. I guess one should expect this when being included in a book with the phrase “the best 366” as part of its title. Both positives and negatives were present in the write-up, but to me the total package was mostly positive. Good things were said about the teaching, the relationship between teachers and students, and the Flagler environment, among other good things.

This should especially be good news to one of our senior accounting majors who had followed up on the St. Augustine Record article with a “letter to the editor” in which she expressed her displeasure with the report of the Princeton Review’s portrayal of Flagler students as slackers who never study. She argued that this portrayal is far from the truth, and that on a walk around campus or the library one can see a majority of students “all working to get good grades and to further our education.”

As one who obviously walks around the library every day, I agree with this young woman. Our students are indeed working hard and dedicating themselves to learning and it a real pleasure for me to have them in our library.

Which brings me at last to my final point and my favorite words coming out of the surveys of our students and presented in the print copy of the book -- “Great library” What wonderful words to hear from a wonderful group of young people!