NMRT Faculty Letters of Support - IU 2011

8/3/2019 NMRT Faculty Letters of Support - IU 2011

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I N D I A N A U N I V E R S IT Y

I N D I A N A U N I V E R S I l YL I B R A R I E S

B l o o m i ng to n , I n d ia n a4 7 4 0 5

Memo: NMRT ALA Student Chapter of the Year Award JuryFrom: Mary Pagliero Popp, Research & Discovery Services Librarian, Indiana

University Libraries and co-chapter advisor for the Indiana UniversitySLiSAmerican Library Association Student Chapter

Subject: Letter of Support for Award Nomination Form 2010Date: February 21. 2011I am pleased to write in support of the Indiana University ALA Student Chapter'saward application again this year. The chapter continues to have excellentleadership and good ideas. These have led to growing participation, both inmembership numbers and in attendance at programs and social events. The groupprovides a sense of collegiality in a large school where it is easy to become lost ofdisaffected. The students who have led the group during the past year have beencreative about finding activities that are fun, sustainable, and meet students' needs.They initiated cooperative activities with other student groups in Bloomington andat the Indianapolis campus. At the same time, they have worked hard to developthe financial infrastructure to support their activities.MEMBERSHIP AND SUPPORT FORSLiSSTUDENTS: The ALA Student Chapter hereat IU has continued to develop its membership in a variety of ways. The groupstarts each semester as part of the orientation activities for new students andencourages them to become part of the group. Membership is solicited inmeetings, on the school's listserv and by word of mouth. In a school filled withinformation scientists and technical specialists who do not plan to be librarians, thefact that the group's membership continues to grow is a testimony to the interestthe Chapters programs and social activities generates.

The group provides an important social outlet for the school. Althoughthere are a number of other professional groups, including chapters of the ACM, theSociety of American Archivists, Special Libraries Association, ASIST, and theProgressive Librarians Guild, the ALA Student Chapter leads the way with programsand social activities.

In addition to their regular programming, the ALA Student Chapter at IUoffers members the opportunity to participate in committees (Social, Fundraising,and Newsletter), library tours, volunteer and advocacy activities, and mentoringrelationships. The Mentor Program that the Chapter has sponsored for severalyears has continued to prosper. A large University like Indiana University needsconcentrated efforts to make it feel smaller. The mentoring process brings peopletogether in ways that benefit them and the school.FINANCIAL: The previous year's leaders had spent money carefully, but thestructure of the financial system they used meant that changes in University policyleft them out of significant funds that they could nave received from the School. .The treasurer and president spent a good bit of time learning more about theUniversity-sponsored Student Organization Accounts system, determining that itwould indeed work for ALA-SC, and then convincing the rest of the membership thatit was not necessary to "go it alone" even if that meant there would be no alcohol atone or two of the groups' major events. They prepared for and successfully passed


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a constitutional amendment to make this happen. It took a lot of work, but theresults will be well worth the effort!

The efforts the ALA-SC leaders have made to create collaborativepartnerships with other SLiSstudent groups have paid off in multiple ways. Thecreativity they have used in creating fun free/low cost events has generated a realbuzz.LEADERSHIP: The members of the group continue to have a well-deservedreputation in the school for good programming and the ALA-SC is often asked tohelp with programs sponsored in SLiS. The IU chapter is a regular participant in thenew student orientation programs and assists Beta Phi Mu in its career fair, byproviding the publicity. In addition, the leadership of the ALA-SC continues to reachout to other groups within the school, making everyone feel welcome and planningjoint programs and activities.

In addition to providing leadership in the school, the officers in the Chapterhave developed excellent mentoring skills and are generous about bringing newmembers along and getting them ready for leadership positions in the ALA-SC.Inclusiveness is a theme that runs through all of their work and it is one where theyclearly "walk the talk."P ROGRAM AND S OC IA L A CTIV IT IES : The ALA-SC has always been serious aboutproviding a variety of programs. They have made a real effort to ask members andother students about their information needs and then to create the appropriateprograms. This year, the emphasis has been on both the interesting and thepractical. I was particularly pleased to see the emphasis on getting involved-inprofessional organizations, in speaking at conferences, and in local volunteeropportunities. Some of these programs have been standing room only! Attendanceat the programs is higher than I have seen it in the ten years I have been workingwith the group; the leaders are doing something right!The social component has continued to grow as well, with regular "meetand greet" activities in local restaurants continuing, with creative activities like thecoffee shop "crawl" that were inexpensive and fostered sharing, and shared eventswith other groups within the School. The changes in our ability to host large socialevents last year led this year's leadership to rethink their social activities and to planmore activities that can be held on or near campus. This effort has, I think, beenvery successful and has allowed for activities at varying times of the day that aremore inclusive.

The IU ALA-SCsponsors an annual essay contest with outside judges and adouble blind review process to select the IU intern for the annual conference. Aswas the case in earlier years, we had several excellent essays and the judges had adifficult time in choosing. We know that we send a qualified representative fromIndiana to ALA to help with the conference. The Chapter provides fundingassistance for travel to the conference; ALA provides conference registration, roomand board during the conference.COMMUNICATIONS: The ALA Student Chapter has a listserv for members, anotherfor the executive board, and has always used the school's listservs and flyers as wellto advertise its activities. The SLiSsard Line Newsletter, begun a couple of years ago,


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continues to provide students with substantive articles. The group also uses aFacebook site to communicate about upcoming programs and it receives moreattention and interaction than the announcements of various events.TO SUM UP: As an active member ofthe American Library Association for manyyears who has held several elected offices in that group, as well as a former mentorin the ALA Emerging Leaders Program, I believe that one of the most importantresults from the ALA Student Chapter work is the opportunity to recruit members ofthe group to active membership in our professional organization. Officers andmembers from 2005 to the present have gone on to active membership on ALAcommittees and strong leadership roles. It always gives me a thrill to see them atconferences. That development role is an important one for the Student Chapterand it is a value that this group has developed.

In short, the Indiana University ALA Student Chapter is worthy ofconsideration for the Chapter of the Year award in 2011. The leaders have built up astrong and financially sustainable plan for activit ies, both social and professional,that is serving the School well and preparing new leaders for ALA and theprofession.Please do not hesitate to contact me for more information:

Mary Pagliero PoppResearch & Discovery Services LibrarianDigital User Experience Department -- Wells Library W501Indiana UniversityBloomington, IN [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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INDIANA UNIVERSITYSCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

B.loomington

February 02, 2011Student Chapter of the Year Award Jury, NMRT ALA

Re: Letter of support for award nomination 2011 - Indiana University ALA-SC

It is with great pleasure that I write this letter to express my strong support for thenomination of the Indiana University ALA Student Chapter for the 2010 Student Chapterof the Year Award. I believe that the group and its officers have done an outstanding jobthis year and I hope that the jury will recognize their accomplishments.I believe that the 2010 officers have exceeded expectations in leadership, initiative, andcommitment. Compared with previous years their accomplishments are very impressive.First, membership increased this year because the ALA SC officers invested efforts inrecruiting new members at orientation, meet & greet activities, and at each of theirprofessional and social events. Second, the group provided an ongoing support for newmembers through a successful mentorship program; veteran students mentor incomingstudents. Peer mentorship is perhaps one of the first steps for mentors and menteestowards becoming tomorrow's leaders in the profession. It is an extremely valuableexperience for students as they help each other in the process of socialization intolibrarianship ..Third, the financial growth of the ALA SC this year is, in my opinion,indicative of a healthy and active student organization. Fourth, the use of Facebook,

Herman B Wells library en 1320 E. 10th Street Bloomington, IN 474053907 (812) 855-2018 toll free (888) 335-7547 fax (812) [email protected] www.slis.indiana.edU
mailto:[email protected]://www.slis.indiana.edu/http://www.slis.indiana.edu/mailto:[email protected]


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INDIANA UNIVERSITYSCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

Bloomiugton

Iistservs, podcasts, and other media to share information and mobilize resources wasphenomenal. Finally, the most impressive accomplishment of the group this year was anincrease in number and range of professional and social activities; some involvedstudents from our programs on Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses. Students'participation in these events reached record numbers!Based on these accomplishments Istrongly believe that the Indiana University ALAStudent Chapter presents a persuasive case for the jury to consider for the student Chapterof the Year Award.

Sincerely,

Pnina Shachaf, Ph.D.Associate Professor & Director of the MLS ProgramSchool of Library and Information Science, Indiana University1320 E. 10th s-, Bloomington, IN 47405-3907Office: (812) 856-1587; Fax: (812) 855-6166Email: [email protected]: http.z/ella.slis.indiana.edu/cshachaf/

Herman B Wells Library 011 1320 E. 10th Street Bloomington, IN47405-3907 (812) 855-2018 toll f ree (888) 335-7547 fax (812) 855-6166sl [email protected] www.slis.indiana.edu
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.slis.indiana.edu/http://www.slis.indiana.edu/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

NMRT Faculty Letters of Support - IU 2011

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