Volume 1, Issue 2

Spring 2002


New Titles

Library System Migration Update

By Marc Wildman

The library faculty and staff are gearing up for the migration of its online catalog to a new system ALEPH, scheduled for June 2002. A migration team, headed by Dave Ritchie, has been formed to ensure that the present information in the online catalog will accurately convert into the new system. ALEPH will replace the present catalog MULTIlis which was installed in January of 1993, and the acquisitions system Bibbase which was installed in April of 1988. The entire project is being coordinated by the SUNY Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) and the vendor ALEPH. Staff will start training on the new system beginning in March.

In early January a subset (50,0000 records) of the library catalog will be extracted by OLIS and converted to meet the specifications required by the ALEPH software. The information will then be placed on a test server for the library staff to evaluate. The library will receive three to four of these extracts to test before the final load of all of Cortland's records will be converted and loaded one last time.

The new system will provide many new features that will enhance the services of the library's online catalog. Keyword searching, which is presently limited to the title, author and subject fields, will be expanded to include all fields that make up the records in the online system. Students, faculty and staff will be able to check their own private accounts for the status of hold requests and books checked out to them Much of the increased functionality will be invisible to the users but will allow the library staff to more efficiently order, receive and catalog books and other items. The catalog will provide more information about the status of items. The system will provide an electronic course reserve system.

Cortland is in "group 2" of SUNY libraries to migrate to ALEPH. Already successfully converted from group 1 are Fredonia, Oswego, and our neighbor TC3. Stonybrook and Binghamton are scheduled for completion in January.

Children's Reading Area Inauguration

By Lorraine Melita

Author Minfong Ho read from her Caldecott Honor-winning picture book, Hush! A Thai Lullaby, at the official opening of the Education Department Children's Reading Area located in the library's Teaching Materials Center (TMC) on November 7, 2001.

The area was established by the joint efforts of Emilie Kudela, education; Lorraine Melita, library; and Johanna Sweeney, Child Care Center. The reading area was created to give preservice teachers first-time, firsthand experience reading to groups of young children. The area utilizes existing library space in the TMC, along with furniture donated by the Education Department, including a book display shelf, and an easel. Ellen Jampole, Education, donated a rocking chair. Carpet squares were donated for children to sit on.

The Children's Reading Area was created through the cooperative efforts of the Child Care Center, the Education Department and Memorial Library. The project is supported by the Community Outreach Partnership Center (C.O.P.C.).

New Computer Applications Course to Debut Fall 2002

By Gretchen Douglas

A new computer applications course, Computers in Society (CAP104) will be introduced in Fall 2002.

The course will examine social, political, ethical, and economic implications of living in a computer dominated world. Emphasis will be on assessing the impact of technology and developing an understanding of its future role. Topics will include computer crime, computer and information ethics, computers and the Constitution, privacy, e-commerce, teaching with technology and artificial intelligence. It will be a required course for CAP minors, but open to other students interested in these timely topics.

For more information contact Gretchen Douglas at extension 4029.

In Memoriam: Jonathan M. Marconi

Jonathan M. Marconi, 19, a library worker in the periodicals department, died suddenly on October 5, 2001. He was a second year Physical Education major from Lynbrook, Long Island and a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity.

He was nicknamed "Mouse" by his fraternity brothers because he was so quiet. Jonathan was a conscientious worker at the library and both the library staff and his student co-workers will sorely miss him.

CLIP & WebCT

By Amanda Johnson

CLIP, the Composition Library Instruction Program is a partnership between the Composition faculty and the Library. CLIP introduces students to some of the Memorial Library's resources. Librarian instructors demonstrate the library's online catalog, the databases where students can find articles and discusses research strategies students can use throughout their college careers to complete assignments and write term papers. A record number students are expected to take CLIP classes this spring when more than 50 sections of composition classeswill be taught the basics of academic library research.

CLIP is moving to the next level with portions going online with WebCT. Students attend the CLIP session in the library's Interactive Reference Area (IRA) for a session with a librarian. Afterward, in a WebCT session, they can take a pretest online on WebCT to see how much they learned. Homework and Quizzes will be given on WebCT and the scoring feature lets students know immediately whether they have passed or whether they need to study some more and try again.

Ed Adams, Jr., the librarian coordinating Memorial Library's Instruction services, schedules the CLIP sessions. He can be contacted at: Ext. 2699 or AdamsE@em.cortland.edu.

Composition students with comments, questions or concerns should contact Ed or Karen Coombs (CoombsK@em.cortland.edu) or Amanda Johnson (AmandaJ@em.cortland.edu)

Video, Video and more Video

By Ron Conklin and Dawn Van Hall

Would you like to add video to your Powerpoint? To your lecutures? We can help you with that! Ron Conklin will be offering workshops in digital video. Dawn Van Hall and Anita Stoner can work with you to edit and compress your video.

The Multimedia Studio (MMS) has six PCs and 7 Macs and is located on the first floor of the library. Here you and your students can:

Do not wait for a workshop, give us a call:
Ron Conklin x4056
Anita Stoner x5761
Dawn Van Hall x4890

Instructional Materials Design Service

Memorial Library is pleased to announce the Instructional Materials Design Service headed by Kim Nicholson. The service is for faculty and staff who are interested in using technology to foster meaningful learning in their classrooms, as Nicholson states, "I help faculty design instructional materials that will achieve satisfying results. We often expect enhancements in technology to automatically produce learning. Learning, of course, is caused by the learner. Designing course elements to foster the achievement of new, more powerful meanings by students is the focus of my work. When an individual can articulate how new knowledge is related to what they already know it is particularly rewarding."

Nicholson earned her Ph.D. in Adult Education from Cornell and has an M.S. in Human Development from Kansas State University and a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Vermont. Most recently she was the Coordinator for Off-Campus Study at the University of Vermont.

Kim Nicholson can found on the 2nd floor of the library, by email at nicholsonk@em.cortland.edu and on x4045

Student Worker Profiles

By Ellen McCabe

The library employees nearly 100 students each semester and their work is invaluable. Students shelve books, staff the public services desks and work weekends and the late night hours. Their presence and their work is deeply appreciated by all the library faculty and staff.

Chris Arma with Charles Bernholz, Collections Librarian
Photo by Dawn Van Hall

Chris Arma, originally from Massapequa Park on Long Island is now a Cortland resident. He enjoys working in the Periodicals Department of Memorial Library. A Physical Education major, Chris will be a senior in Spring 2002, when he will also be serving as a supplemental class instructor. He plans on student teaching next fall, working in a middle school or high school. His hobbies include snowboarding, mountain biking and orienteering. He says that he enjoys working in the library, especially the interaction with people in Periodicals and he works well with the staff and faculty. His major failing is that he spends to much time studying and not enough time on himself.

Joey B performing one of his many duties
Photo by Dawn Van Hall

Joey B (Joseph Bennett) is a sophomore from the Buffalo area who has liked working in the Periodicals Department. He is a physical education major who may be changing to a zoology major when he transfers University of Buffalo in the spring. He says that he will miss some of his Cortland activities such as playing rugby with the town team and singing in the Gospel Choir. He also has a great interest in the study of animals, which is leading him to pursue a different degree. Joey likes working in the library a lot. The advantages he sees of working in periodicals are nice people, the availability of new magazines and learning how to do searches, which has helped him with his own research. If there is anything he would change about Cortland, he would make the campus more diverse. He will be missed.

SUNY Cortland Memorial Library (607) 753-2526
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