Volume 3, Issue 1

Fall 2003

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Love of Libraries: An Interview with Susan Rayl

By Ellen McCabe

Susan Rayl of the Exercise Science and Sport Studies Department, and a frequent library user, recently consented to talk with Scales & Tales about her perspectives on Memorial Library.

Scales & Tales: What has been your experience with library services?
Dr. Rayl:Very good results.I haven't done much interlibrary loan.Services are really valuable.They had a copying service at Iowa State (where I taught for five years) -there's a lot of research on microfilm.

S&T: Have you used interlibrary loan?
Dr. Rayl:I've used it here, but infrequently.I was looking for a narrative of a court case and I had very little information.Gretchen Gogan found it.

S&T: What other services have you used?
Dr. Rayl: I check out books a lot.I am a heavy user of the collection. I also use journals and newspapers, both current and past for research and teaching.I had a classroom assignment that required the students to use the New York Amsterdam News. I use Lexis-Nexis for newspaper articles on sport and general news and legal issues; Sports Discus, and Dissertation Abstracts to see what people are working on.

S&T: Have you worked with any particular librarians or staff?
Dr. Rayl:I worked with Gretchen Gogan to find that narrative and I worked with Gail Wood, Marc Wildman, and Donna Pflanz-May. I had a book put in the rare book collection working with Marc [Wildman] and Gail [Wood].

S&T: Do you ever bring classes in for library instruction?
Dr. Rayl:I haven't scheduled classes. But I brought in a Freshman class.I don't care about their reaction (they don't view the library as "cool" yet). It was like a scavenger hunt.I am also planning to have my classes research Cortland College Athletics, using the archives.I haven't done homework on this yet.

Dr. Rayl: I was helping C-Club using material.We used yearbooks in the stacks.It was lots of fun for students.I like to get students in the stacks looking for something and then they get sidetracked.
We'll be here a lot more this semester.I am holding office hours in one of the study rooms on the fourth floor of the Library. I'm offering extra credit for students who read a non-fiction pleasure book.They can pick out something they're interested in, write about it and give a 5-minute book report in class.Great experience. I would love to see us have a campus of readers.

S&T: Would you care to share some of your research topics with us?
Dr. Rayl:Black, African-American sport history between World War I and World War II; Jim Crow Era; legal segregation.Basketball Teams--the New York Renaissance Five and Black women's basketball at that time.Women's sports are on the social pages.1960's sport during Civil Rights Movements; Black Football players at University of Iowa during the 20s & 30s; people that took second place.
I wrote articles for the enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame in September.I interviewed Meadowlark Lemon, Doctor of Divinity; he "preaches with a Lemon Flavor." I also interviewed Manny Jackson, owner of the Globetrotters and wrote about Bob Douglas of the Rens.

S&T: Are there ways we can serve you better?
Dr. Rayl: I've had to have help finding books.There are a lot of books that have grown legs here.Students also rip out articles. Having an addition to the Library and add a classroom.I really liked having a classroom at Bridgewater (where I taught a few years back).A coffee place-wonderful!It would make it cool to come to library. Serious stuff takes place (at the library).Continue to do whatyou do. Malcolm X said, "that's where all the knowledge is" - the library!

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The Library’s Mobile Classroom

By Lorraine Melita

One of the newest things at Memorial Library are 20 mobile, wireless, laptop computers. The laptops were purchased with money from the Long Range Planning Goal for Information Literacy, and several wireless access points were purchased with SCAP funds.

These wireless laptops enable librarians to hold classes in any part of the library.If the professor wants the students to have experience with journals, the class can be held in the Periodicals area.If the students need instruction in technology, the class can use the laptops in the MultiMedia Studio.Students needing instruction in locating books in the online catalogand finding them in the library can be instructed in various areas of the South Wing.The ability to move to different sections of the library is the first step towards the goal of making the Teaching Materials Center an activity-based learning area rather than a collection-based area.

If you have an interest in hands-on instruction for your students, please contact Lorraine Melita at extension 4009 or at melital@cortland.edu. We have held four successful classes and aretomore.Please contact us soon!

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Are You Being Served?

By Marc Wildman

Memorial Library provides a number of services to assist faculty in their research and classroom needs. Here is a list of services we provide:

Circulation

Your Cortland ID Card allows faculty to check out books for 120 days, and may be renewed if not requested by others. Videos may be borrowed for a period of 3 weeks. Faculty is not charged fines, but will be responsible to pay for lost or damaged materials.

Reserves

Materials that support class instruction may be put on reserve by the instructor. These materials can be access by the students with a Cortland ID Card and circulate for 2-hours or 2-days. Faculty can provide their own personal materials or anything in the library collection.

Library Catalog

Our new online catalog ALEPH500 provides access to over 400,000 books, videos, and government documents in the collection. ALEPH provides many new and enhanced search features above the previous system. A reference bibliographer will be happy to show them to you!

Library Web Page http://library.cortland.edu/

Let the library web page be your gateway to information. In addition to the library catalog, you can access periodical holdings and electronic journals, as well as all the databases and indexes available to SUNY Cortland faculty, staff, and students.

Teaching Materials Center (TMC)

This center boasts a diverse collection of K-12 teaching materials. The TMC includes curriculum guides, textbook sets, jackdaws, videos, methods materials, and much more. Bring your future teachers to the TMC to explore the endless possibilities for classroom support.

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Suggestions Please….

The reference bibliographers at Memorial Library appreciate your suggestions of titles for the library collection. Faculty’s active participation in the selection process means that the library’s collection meets the academic need of the students.

We have even made it more convenient for you to do with our new “Book Order Request” link under faculty services on our website.(http://library.cortland.edu/forms/book_request.asp)

Fill out this form and it will automatically be forwarded and reviewed by the appropriate reference bibliographer at the library. All requests for books are evaluated according to section VI of the library collection development policy. Faculty will be notified when the title has been received. (http://library.cortland.edu/collection_policy.asp)

As always, the library is always interested in the new publications of our faculty, staff and emeriti. Please inform us of your new books and articles being published. We want to be the first to know!