Welcome to the start of another academic year and a new sea-son for getting together with colleagues and sharing our ex-periences. The WNY/O ACRL Chapter, Inc. is working on some really great conferences for 2003-2004 and we hope to see as many members as possible. The Fall Conference will be held at the White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa, Niag-ara-on-the-Lake, Ontario on Friday, October 17, 2003. The conference theme is “The Current State of Information Literacy.” The conference planning committee still has room for more poster sessions related to this topic, and we are in-viting submissions from members, non-members, students, and professionals. The deadline for poster submissions is September 19, 2003. To submit a proposal, or for more in-formation about the upcoming conference, please contact Jonathan Coe, Programs Chair, at 716-286-8005 or via email at jcoe@niagara.edu. Last year’s poster sessions were great and we hope to have as equally dynamic presenters as we did in 2002. The start of the academic year also means that it is time to renew your membership, which runs from September through the following August. No guessing is needed here; it is time to renew. But, our membership fee is very low considering the value that you receive from it. Two conferences, newslet-ters, a network atmosphere (online and regionally), and the chance to get together with colleagues and friends over the years. While you are at it, consider asking your fellow workers to join. It is a great way to see the field of academic librarian-ship and to be a part of one of the largest regional chapters of ACRL. Our position across two countries gives us a unique opportunity to view things from a number of different experi-ences, and this helps us in our professional activities as well as in our careers. Finally, please consider participating in the Chapter in a more direct way by running for a position on the Board of Direc-tors. We have activities great and small and the most impor-tant requirements are enthusiasm and a willingness to work with a great bunch of people. Board meetings and activities

Message from the President...

Message from the President 1

Message from the Past President 2

N ews 2

Fall 2003 Conference Announcem ent 3-4

Fall 2003 Conference Registration Form 5

Mem bersh ip Renewal 6

T reasurer’s R eport 7

S pring 2003 Conference R eport 8-9

Meet Your Board Mem bers 9

S pring 2003 Conference S cholarsh ip Winner Profile 9

Contacts 10

In s ide th is is sue :

W NY/ O ACRL Ne w s le tte r

A C R L W E S T E R N N E W Y O R K / O N T A R I O , I N C .

Fall 2003

open you up to new perspectives, give you experience that will help you work into state and national organizations. It is also a lively and fun group to be in. Please think about this; ask a Board member to describe the organization and how things work, and give it a try. If you have any questions, comments, ideas for conferences, or any other thoughts or needs, please feel free to contact us. This is your organization and it is here to serve you. See you in October! David J. Bertuca President

Workshop “I am quite excited about working with physics teachers di-rectly. Cornell runs two summer workshops for science teachers. Cornell Institute for Physics Teachers (CIPT) was a class of 22. I conducted a 2-hour hands-on workshop for them on ‘Mining the Web’ on July 22. The same workshop was re-peated at the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) on August 2. The Research Experience for Teach-ers (RET) was a class of 5. I gave a short talk for them on ‘Information Literacy and Science Teaching Goals’ on July 30. I also repeated this one at AAPT on August 6. ‘Outreach’ is a big thing here. Per-sonally, I feel I have to go where the action is.” Submitted by Patricia T. Viele Edna McConnell Clark Physical Sciences Library Cornell University

Page 2

Me ssage fro m the Pas t Pre s ide n t...

W N Y/ O ACR L

Appointment Lisabeth Chabot has been named the new College librarian at Ithaca College. She began her appointment on August 4th. Ms. Chabot comes to Ithaca after serving as college librarian at Mary Baldwin College since 1993. Her dynamic leader-ship at Mary Baldwin created a service-oriented library that emphasized collabo-ration and a sense of community. She has demonstrated a strong record of tech-nological innovation, collection manage-ment, national involvement in her profes-sion, and fund raising. Her commitment to the instructional role of the library and her ability to be a bold and energetic champion for this vital unit of the academic enterprise will contribute greatly to raising the profile of the library at Ithaca College. Submitted by Gale Stevenson Ithaca College Library Election Carol Wu from Brock University’s James A. Gibson Library was elected as the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect to the Innovative Users Group, which was founded in 1991 as an international organization of member libraries who use the Innovative Interfaces, Inc. integrated library system.

Ne w s ...

To our members, It was an honor and a pleasure to serve as your president for the 2002/2003 term. The past year was a year of continued growth, as our chapter hosted two successful conferences, expanded its web page, and increased its membership. I would like to thank our past president, Carol Wu, for her continuing contributions to the board. Along with her posi-tion as past president, she undertook the editorship of the bi-annual newsletter and has done an excellent job. Thank you, Carol! I would also like to thank our past programs chair Linda Lowry for organizing two excellent conferences at the Lodge at Woodcliffe in Rochester, NY and at the Buffalo Confer-

Center in downtown Buffalo. Those who attended the con-ferences heard speakers discuss topics ranging from active learning to PDAs and learning portals. Thanks also goes out to Samantha Gust, our webmaster, whose continued work on our chapter’s website has improved our presence on the web. Chapter members can view current information as well as search for information about past con-ferences. As we enter the 2003-2004 year, there are now many new board members. I welcome them all to the WNY/O Chapter of ACRL. A special welcome to Dave Bertuca who is now our current president. Looking forward to seeing you all at the Fall Conference at The White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa! Jonathan Coe Past President

Page 3

Western New York/Ontario ACRL

Fall 2003 Conference

The Current State of Information Literacy

October 17, 2003

White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

Featuring

Stewart Brower of University at Buffalo

Dr. Jeff Liles of SUNY Geneseo

Phyllis Wright of Brock University

Plus Poster Sessions

For more detailed information, please visit the Chapter’s

web site @ http://www.niagara.edu/library/acrl/

Fall 2 0 0 3 Co n fe re n ce ...

Page 4 W N Y/ O ACR L

WNY/O ACRL Fall Conference

October 17, 2003

White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa

253 Taylor Road Niagara-on-the-Lake

Ontario, Canada L0S 1J0

The White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa is one of the premier conference centers in the Niagara region, located only 15 kilometers from downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake. It boasts a world-class conference facility, hotel, spa, and fitness center. To make reservations for overnight accommodations, call 1-800-263-5766. Inquire about the corporate room rate. Visit the web site to preview the White Oaks’ beautiful facilities (http://www.whiteoaksresort.com).

Directions

The White Oaks is conveniently located immediately off the Glendale Avenue exit of the Q.E.W, just south of St. Catharines. From Toronto and Hamilton, follow the Q.E.W. past St. Catharines and take the Glendale Avenue exit. Turn right. The resort is located on the right. From New York State via Fort Erie/Niagara Falls, follow the Toronto-bound Q.E.W. Take the Glendale Avenue exit and turn left. The resort is located on the right. More detailed directions and a map are available on the White Oaks’ web site at: http://www.whiteoaks.on.ca/Directions/

Page 5

WNY/O ACRL Fall 2003 Conference Registration Form

(Please Print) Name: ___________________________________________________________________ Work Phone: _________________________________________________________________________ Institution:____________________________________________________________________________ Work Address: ________________________________________________________________________ City: _____________________________ State/Prov.____________ Postal /Zip Code: _______________ E-mail Address: ______________________________________(required if you would like confirmation) Chapter Member? Yes _____ No _____

Fees (includes continental breakfast and hot buffet lunch)

CN$90 for Canadian WNY/O ACRL chapter members or ___ library support staff US $65 for American WNY/O ACRL chapter members or ___library support staff CN $105 for Canadian non-members US $80 for U.S. non-members CN $35 for Canadian full-time library school students US $25 for U.S. full-time library school students US $40 or CN $55

for attendees presenting a poster session

Membership for WNY/O ACRL is $10.00 per year (Canadian at par) and $7.00 for ACRL National members (Canadian at par). If you are currently not a member, the cost of membership may be added on to your registration check. All memberships expire as of August 31st each year. If you did not pay your membership for this year, please take the time to do so now. Check here ____ if you are paying membership dues now. Check here ____ if you wish to donate $1 toward our Library School Student Conference Scholarship. Two scholarships are to be awarded at the conference. Total amount of check: $ __________ Receipts will be available the day of the conference. We do not send confirmations by mail.

Registration deadline: October 10, 2003

Please make checks payable to: Western New York/Ontario ACRL

Please mail checks and forms to: Brenda L. Battleson Acquisitions Department 134 Lockwood Library Building University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY 14260 Phone: 716-645-2305; Fax: 716-645-5955 E-mail: blb@acsu.buffalo.edu

Have you renewed your WNY/O ACRL membership?

Membership runs from September to

August every year.

Pass the word to your colleagues.

Use form on page 5

W N Y/ O ACR L Page 6

Tre asure r’s Re po rt...

WNY/O ACRL Treasurer’s Report (9/1/2002 – 7/1/2003 current reports)

2003 Spring Conference Report (Interim) Subcategory Total Income Donations Student Conf. Scholar. 24.00 Conf. Scholar. - Can. Exch. (0.69) Total Donations 23.31 Spring Conf Inc 03 Registration 4,475.00 * Registration refund (140.00) Can. Exch. (321.88) Total Spring Conf Inc 03 4,013.12 Total Income 4,036.43 Expenses Scholarship 80.00 Honoraria/speaker expenses 1,291.52 Accommodations/expenses 3,750.10 Supplies 124.39 Total Spring Conf 03 5166.01 Total Expenses 5,166.01 Grand Total (1,130.58)

* Registration of $140.00 outstanding

Membership Income - 2002/2003 9/1/2002 through 7/1/2003 Subcategory Total Membership Dues 1,037.00 Canadian Exch. (57.41) Total Income 979.59 Grand Total 979.59

Income vs. Spending 9/1/2002 through 7/1/2003 Subcategory Total Income Donations

Student Conf. Scholarship 41.00 Conf. Scholar. - Can. Exch. (2.71)

Total Donations 38.29 Fall Conf Inc 02 Refund (210.00) Registration 6,025.00 Registration Can. Exch. (361.64) Scholarship (40.00) Total Fall Conf Inc 02 5,413.36 Membership 2002-03 Dues 1,037.00 Canadian Exch. (57.41) Total Membership 979.59 Spring Conf Inc 03 Registration 4,475.00 Registration refund (140.00) Can. Exch. (321.88) Total Spring Conf Inc 03 4,013.12 Total Income 10,444.36 Expenses Bank Charges Chargeback fee 10.00 Total Bank Charges 10.00 Board Meeting Meals 232.15 Total Board Meeting 232.15 Fall Conf 02 Accommodations 4,062.60 Honoraria / travel 192.00 Supplies 90.00 Total Fall Conf 02 4,344.60 Fall Conf 03 Accommodations/expenses (deposit) 680.32 Total Fall Conf 03 680.32 Newsletter Postage 100.24 Newsletter 533.68 Total newsletter 633.92 Spring Conf 03 Accommodations/expenses 3,750.10 Honoraria/expenses 1,291.52 Scholarship 80.00 Supplies 124.39 Total Spring Conf 03 5,246.10 Total Expense Categories 11,147.00 Grand Total (702.64)

Page 7

Page 8 W N Y/ O ACR L

Sprin g 2 0 0 3 Co n fe re n ce Re po rt...

PDAs and Portals: Technologies and Interfaces Transforming Academic Libraries May 2nd, 2003 PDAs in Academic Libraries: We’ve got the Whole World in Our Palms Megan Fox, Simmons College Libraries Becoming increasingly common on the technology landscape, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are a valuable tool for li-brarians and library patrons alike. Megan Fox introduced the audience to the world of PDAs and handheld computers, us-ing her own as an example. Ms. Fox outlined the common functions and applications used on these portable devices, and explained why librarians should be aware of the ways PDAs can not only simplify their common tasks, such as meeting scheduling and address/phone book organization, but also aid patrons access catalogue and Internet information. This session was divided into two main sections: an introduc-tion to PDAs and their common roles and functions, and how academic libraries can use them to their advantage. The latter section included information on:

• Serving web content to PDAs • PDA access points in libraries • Ebooks and reference sources on PDAs • Challenges for libraries – privacy, cost, copyright,

etc.

Finally, Ms. Fox gave a glimpse into the future of these excit-ing tools, and gave examples of the next-generation hand-helds. Ms. Fox’s session was an excellent introduction to the tech-nology of PDAs and handhelds, and gave ideas to librarians looking to use these tools effectively. Scholarsportal: An Information Infrastructure for Ontario Alan Darnell, University of Toronto Libraries Many academic libraries have been faced with the problem of skyrocketing journal fees and patrons demanding increased remote access to electronic resources. The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL), a consortium of 19 academic libraries, has created a research portal project called Scholars Portal that not only allows web access to electronic resources, but harvests and archives content for future generations of students and staff.

Alan Darnell presented the progression of the Scholars Portal project, focusing on how it was created and how the funding was procured from the Ontario Innovation Trust and the Ontario Information Infrastructure. Mr. Darnell detailed the hardware used to store and serve the more than

2.9 million PDF and HTML articles from 3500 journals, and how the data is received from vendors and loaded into the system. Mr. Darnell provided usage statistics which gave insight into when and where students are likely to access these e-journals. The statistics show that students are more likely to access re-search materials starting in mid-afternoon, peaking at 7pm, and finally tapering off in early morning. The slowest periods of activity are typically between 7am and 12pm. As such, support during those peak times is a challenge for the project, as the times of highest activity fall outside of regular business hours. In addition, the usage statistics show that whereas the larger libraries have higher access totals, the smaller university li-braries are accessing e-journals at a proportionally higher rate. This was attributed to the fact that students from smaller uni-versities were using the electronic copies of journals which were not readily available in print form at their institution. A series of screenshots were shown to highlight the features of the Scholars Portal interface, touching on customizability, search screens, and results pages. Future directions of this project include:

• A data migration to an Endeavour Information Sys-tems platform

• Use of RefWorks to allow citation management • Increased personalization and collaboration.

Mr. Darnell provided an informative account of the Scholars Portal project, as well as invaluable insight into the research habits of students through usage statistics. Portals in Research Libraries: Improving Collec-tion Access Mary E. Jackson, Association of Research Libraries Following Alan Darnell’s session on setting up a collabora-tive e-journal system in Ontario, Mary E. Jackson’s session chronicled the process taken by the Association of Research

Nancy Warren Nominations Chair I am currently the Systems Librarian at D’Youville College in Buffalo. Previous work includes database development and management, as well as web development. Prior to my life as a librarian, I was a professional musician and played bassoon for various orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States. My degrees include an MLS, an MM in music history, and an MM in music performance. I am happy to be a part of WNY/O ACRL as the Nominations Chair. James Bondra Councillor I have been a Reference and Instruction Services Librarian at Ithaca College since 1990 with liaison duties to the Schools of Business and Communications. I graduated from SUNY at Buffalo in 1983 with a Masters in Library Science. I have been previously employed at Occidental Chemical as an in-dexer and the New York Public Library in the General Refer-ence and History and Social Sciences Departments of the Mid-Manhattan Branch. Also, I was employed as Director of Harkavy Information Service, a fee-based research company whose clients included such major advertising agencies as Ogilvy and Mather and Public Relations firms such as Hill & Knowlton. Prior to coming to Ithaca College I was also employed as an Information Specialist at two Wall Street firms, Prudential –Bache Securities and Shearson/Lehman Hutton/American Ex-press. I specialized in Mergers and Acquistions and European and Asian company and market research. Nicki Lerczak Vice Programs Chair I am currently the head of Reference and Instruction at Gene-see Community College in Batavia, NY. Along with “other duties as assigned,” I’m also the librarian for Off-Campus Services, meaning I drive to our five campus centers to pro-vide instruction and coordinate ILL and other resources for our distance learning students. Before coming to Genesee, I was the Electronic Services Librarian with the Southern Tier Library System in Painted Post, NY where I was responsible for computer and database training for library staff at 50 member libraries. (As you can see, I’m used to driving long distances!) I received my MLS from SUNY Buffalo in 1996. I’m a transplanted Long Islander (who doesn't sound like one) who enjoys veggie gardening, watching ice hockey, my three cats (Kibbles, Rigatoni and Fukui) and my Great Dane (Loki).

Me e t Yo ur Bo ard Me m be rs ...

Libraries (ARL) in achieving a similar goal in the United States. Ms. Jackson began with details on the impetus for this project, the 2000 white paper by Jerry Campbell, and the sub-sequent ARL Scholars Portal Working Group. Seven univer-sities agreed to participate in the project, and Fretwell-Downing, Inc. was selected as the platform supplier. Instead of a centralized approach for the ‘discovering, capturing, ma-nipulation, distribution and consultation’ of content, these seven universities have had hardware and software locally installed, and have decided to have library-specific interfaces. As such, their implementation dates have differed, but most libraries should have their research portals available by the fall of 2003. Ms. Jackson noted the difficulty in establishing a common set of research sources for all seven universities, which had vastly different research needs. Four prioritized subjects were finalized in April of 2003: Literature, Full-Text, Environ-mental Science, and Engineering. The remainder of the session looked at ARL survey results on portal implementations, comparing and contrasting the fea-tures of various projects. Ms. Jackson’s session gave an enlightening view of a distrib-uted research portal approach, as well as valuable information on the current state of research portals in the United States. Submitted by Jonathan Younker Brock University

Sprin g 20 0 3 Co n fe re n ce Scho lars h ip W in n e r...

At the Spring 2003 conference, two student attendees were awarded conference scholarships of $40 each. The scholar-ship winners were: Tracy Paradis and Giann Palachuvattil. Here is an update on Giann’s current situation. Giann Palachuvattil is a recent MLS graduate of SUNY-Buffalo, where she also completed a Master’s degree in Eng-lish. Her library experience includes work in Central Techni-cal Services as well as internships at the Lockwood Library Reference Desk and UB’s Government Documents Section. Since the Spring conference, Giann has become a compulsive user of a secondhand PDA and looks forward to acquiring a Pocket PC someday. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening. Submitted by Linda Lowry Programs Chair, 2002-2003.

Page 9

Jill Church, Membership and Promotions Chair & Archivist D’Youville College Library 320 Porter Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14201 churchj@dyc.edu, 716-881-7618 Nancy Warren, Nominations Chair D’Youville College Library 320 Porter Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14201 warrenn@dyc.edu, 716-881-8116 Samantha Gust, Webmaster Niagara University Library Lewiston Road, Lewiston, NY 14109 gust@niagara.edu, 716-286-8031 James Bondra, Councillor Gannett Center Library, Ithaca College Danby Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 jbondra@ithaca.edu, 607-274-1962 Suzette M. Hino, Councillor McGrath Library, Hilbert College 5200 South Park Avenue, Hamburg, NY 14075 shino@hilbert.edu, 716-649-7900 x360 Carol Wu, Newsletter Editor Brock University Library 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1 cwu@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x3266

David J. Bertuca, President Arts and Sciences Libraries, SUNY at Buffalo 225 Capen Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260-2200 dbertuca@buffalo.edu, 716-645-2947 x229 Illona Middleton, Vice President/President Elect Medaille College Library 18 Agassiz Circle, Buffalo, NY 14214 Imiddleton@medaille.edu, 716-884-3281 x167 Jonathan Coe, Past President & Programs Chair Niagara University Library Lewiston Road, Lewiston, NY 14109 jcoe@niagara.edu, 716-286-8005 Brenda Battleson, Treasurer Acquisitions Dept., SUNY at Buffalo 134 Lockwood Library, Buffalo, NY 14260-2210 blb@buffalo.edu, 716-645-2305 Marianne Foley, Secretary E.H. Butler Library, Buffalo State College 1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, NY 14222 foleym@buffalostate.edu, 716-878-6327 Nicki Lerczak, Vice Programs Chair Genesee Community College One College Road, Batavia, NY 14020-9704 njlerczak@genesee.edu, 585-343-0055 x6418

Co n tacts ...

2UJDQL]DWLRQ�This is a publicatio n o f W NY/ O ACRL

If undeliverable, please return to:

David J. Bertuca Arts and Sciences Libraries 225 Capen Hall SUNY at Buffalo Buffalo, NY 14260-1672

WNY/O ACRL is a not-for-profit organization

We are on the Web! http://www.niagara.edu/library/acrl