Attendees: Angie, Georgiana, Heather, Anita, Maggie, Peter, Remlee, Mark, Lisa H., Lisa S. (minutes) 

Announcements/Updates -15 minutes

• A Google software engineer will be giving an Intro to the Google API and KML presentation today in the DIRC at 5pm, which will be recorded.

• IAPril:
  • Bioinformatics for beginners - this week;
  • Endnote - Anita & Peter;
  • Tracking citations with web of science - Michael Noga
• Started as ESL thing and ESL provides refreshments but turning into system wide thing; can change advertising for JulyAP if this is an issue for things like EndNote

• ISG update
  • Services promotion group (ISG/CFG )- working on mockup of library quick start page to be embedded into all stellar course pages; working with Nicole to make user friendly
  • Communication policy group - hitting interesting point; have inventory of all email and forms across system that require answer from person; working on consistent policy everyone can use for things like turn around time; getting back to the user, etc; Trying to create a single place where users can ask all things; research consultations; dspace, ask-us; password account; e-reserves, etc. Document delivery coordinating group (DDCG) working separately to come up with a single page to ask for materials in the libraries.  Christine Quirion is on both groups, so that the two pages do not overlap; Want to come up with model and policy to be reviewed throughout system
  • Fines, core competencies - still working

• UIG update
  • working on subject pages for databases (vera); Many of humanities subject pages are broad and are very similar in use to vera database subject pages. This might be something RISG could consider as we recreate subject pages in the future; maybe should change from subject guides to "research" guides; Will always have to be a centralized system for databases - track licensing, access, etc.; Many subject pages created to work around long lists in vera; Subject guides can be more niche specific
  • The public face of Vera is moving away from filemaker pro - use SFX instead; can organize, rank, divide topically; Want to get vera done before fall; then review all subject guides; shift to research guides? Work with libguides?; maybe get rid of publication type as a category if call them research guides; Hopefully will become more clear as vera pages come together

• PSLG update
  • Revisiting assessment cycle/process
  • What is PSLG's role in assessment? - will watch that any new projects will have assessment attached to them and follow up; Try to do something similar with services; but not figured out yet; Want to get away from making assessment a project
  • Assessment plan had 5 benchmarks - PSLG took data already gathered and trying to figure out how well assessing for the benchmarks; if people using stats in more useful way then maybe they will be gathered better or differently
  • For RISG: make sure any of our new projects include assessment and services;
  • PSLG has seen this already starting to happen - example: instruction plan has assessment built into

• Peter and Georgiana talked to Steve about getting programmer for automating Harvard & BLC cards; Concern= ongoing maintenance of new tools
• Steve will talk to Mackenzie about having Sands work on online reference statistics form

-Spring Seminar Update --Heather -5 minutes

• Still looking for a person to come address issues / provide examples around: Outreach innovation, publicity, public relations

• The person who Heather was in contact with about this won't be able to make it; Suggestions tended to be for people who are not from this geographic area, so Heather is working on contacting people to line up someone who won't have to travel extensively.

-New Membership --putting out a call for new members -5 minutes

• Peter will put out a call to all-lib

-Possible new way of creating subject pages- Remlee, Nicole, and Darcy have been testing a new way of creating subject guides. Remlee will show us and ask for feedback. -15 minutes

• Library guides editor option: http://libguides.mit.edu

• They are testing this site as a possible new solution for creating and maintaining subject guides without having to know dreamweaver or html
• It's a fairly young system and involves a subscription, but schools like BC are already using it. Provides easy to use tools to copy already created pages, set up options for rss feeds, letting users provide commentary; can have people vote on things, easy to put your contact info, link to tutorials in techtv, podcasts, make multiple people editors, tags and tag clouds, etc.
• This has the potential to be used for both subject guides and course pages. Dreamweaver guides already in place would not transfer, so one would need to rethink their existing pages and the code is not really editable on the libguides site.
• If you are interested in helping test the system and providing feedback about what is good and bad about it email Remlee and she'll tell you how to access it during our 30 day trial period. Nicole is thinking about putting something like this in place by this summer. She will also think about how to keep some consistency amongst the library site, but people would be able to choose between the new and old systems.

-Assessment of Instruction --The instruction assessment group will update us on their progress (Angie, Mark, Lisa H) -15 minutes* Angie, Lisa, & Mark are working on developing a plan to assess student learning

• "Desperately seeking citations" (article suggested by Maggie) - discusses faculty giving students broad topic; students don't know how to focus topic; could acrl standards shape themselves to respond to this? Dealing with lost students regularly at reference desk; if topic in field major then easier to figure out because familiar already. Role of the librarian vs role of faculty member in shaping the topic - article notes librarian needs to proselytize to the faculty; job not to decide topic but give them guides for how to learn about - librarians provide basic resources to help contextualize topic for field and start searching - role of the librarian
• What does our program do for the students at MIT? Goals of what our instruction program are; undergrad = first focus; end of freshman year goals vs end of senior year goals (Learning outcomes). Most freshman take 3.091 and an expository writing class - setting up basic standard instruction to these classes would create a basic level of knowledge that would reach the entire freshman class; instructors could build on this basic platform of library knowledge. The ACRL literacy standards are too broad and vague, but the science and engineering standards are more tangible and applicable as a starting point and they are relevant to more areas than just science and engineering
• Data = some data is easy to access, some is not, some is in formats that are very complex to work with, others are simple; Proprietary vs not; already created datasets vs having to manipulate data from multiple sources for a project; many users have no concept of these issues when getting started; its an interdisciplinary issue - ESL, Dewey, GIS, & Humanities regularly experience the challenges of working with users falling unexpectedly into these challenges
• We can add to the perception-of-relevance surveys from IAP. Will also talk to Rudy about what's applicable to grad students; would standards like this be applicable to grad students or only good for undergrads? For graduate students we may want to use something more simple/tangible?
  

-Reference Vision -Can we discuss how we'd like this presented at PSLG and, time permitting continue our discussion on this?-30 minutes

What is reference at our libraries now?

• Hayden at desk - mostly doing citation support / help people find something
• Ask Us! - email - citation support and direct to research support
• Dewey & Rotch & GIS - every day questions that could take hours to days; they come in during scheduled and unscheduled times and via email, some via ask-us
• Barker and Science reference questions tend to come to individuals via email (some through ask-us), not coming at the desk
• It's time intensive; can start anywhere; does happen much less at the desk than it ever has at the desk
• We will send the Ref Vision report we currently have to PSLG, but clarify it's a progress report and we are still figuring out next steps

What is our new vision of what reference is?

• We are doing both intermediated reference and supporting self help; reference and usability and access merging together
• What does this mean about the reference staff and what our work consists of?