The 2007 College and University Workshop, “Keeping Up With Our Patrons: Adapting to User Expectations,” was an excellent time for fellowship and professional development. The day began with registration and a leisurely gathering over coffee and pastries. Karen Brown, the College and University Section Chair, then opened the series of presentations with a warm welcome and a few words about the C&U section and its upcoming plans. She handed the podium over to the first speaker, Mr. Scott Warren of the North Carolina State University Libraries. Mr. Warren introduced the NCSU Libraries project, undertaken in partnership with Endeca, to create a more user-friendly catalog based on faceted searching. You can find more details, as well as the catalog, at this address:http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/endeca/. Mr. Warren introduced the rationale behind the project, the process, reception, and overall results of the project. South Carolina librarians were captivated by the revolutionary catalog. Mr. Warren’s powerpoint presentation and commentary can be viewed here: Endeca and Faceted Browsing: Giving the User a Useful Catalog.
Lunch followed Mr. Warren’s presentation. Workshop attendees came from around thirty institutions, including PASCAL and the USC College of Information and Library Science. Therefore, lunch allowed a wonderful opportunity for current and future librarians to network with colleagues from around the state and from a wide variety of backgrounds.
After lunch, Kristen DeVoe of the College of Charleston took the podium for the next presentation. Ms. DeVoe is the “Innovations Affecting Us” column editor in Against the Grain, and her presentation, “ ‘Next Generation’ Technologies for the ‘Next Generation’ Library User,” spoke to this theme of innovations in the library. Attendees took copious notes as Ms. DeVoe shared valuable information on innovations such as blogging and wikis, as well as tips on how to put these innovations to use. Ms. DeVoe’s powerpoint presentation can be viewed here: “Next Generation” Technologies for the “Next Generation” Library User.
A brief break marked the transition to the final workshop session, a panel presentation on “Adapting to User Expectations in SC Libraries.” Ms. Tucky Taylor of the University of South Carolina spoke to how innovations in the physical space of their library had increased usage statistics and made the library a favorite campus hangout. Mr. Gordon Cochrane of Clemson University then shared how adding instant messaging to their library’s reference services had affected the number and types of questions they receive. Ms. Shawn Carraway of Midlands Technical College shared how she was putting the innovations of vidcasting and tagging to use in her library. All three librarians addressed concerns raised by these changes, such as training, staffing, and patron use.
We wish to thank all who contributed their time and talents to make the 2007 Workshop a successful experience. We are no less grateful to our attendees, without whom the Workshop would not have been possible. Thanks, too, to Richland County Public Library for their lovely venue. Please let us know of ideas for future workshops.
See pictures of the workshop, courtesy of Dr. Curtis Rogers, at http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisrogers/sets/72157600325486292/.
See even more pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/9594359@N02/