Converting to a Digital Age

We live in an age where technology abounds and new innovations are sprouting up daily. The OSU Library has evolved alongside this rapid growth in tech and made strides in the digitization of resources and the adoption of new technology.

But while much of the physical technology is only accessible if you’re on campus, the library’s digital resources are available anywhere. One of the most interesting and unique digital resources is the library’s Digital Collections.

The Digital Collections house a cornucopia of historical information that one may not be able to find elsewhere. The information in these collections range from political buttons to stories of Oklahoma’s farming history.

These collections are incredibly important because they shed light on artifacts that otherwise may only be seen by a few eyes. For example, had the Dr. Bill F. & Jean Kelso Collection of Ancient Coins not been photographed and archived in the Digital Collections, the ancient coins could have remained tucked away in a case in the library, rarely seen except for those who could travel to view them in person.

Another benefit to digitizing these archival materials is that it prevents further wear and tear on the original materials. Preserving them digitally allows more people to explore the documents, photos or objects without the risk of harm that comes from handling the physical item.

“One of our primary goals is to retain the original as long as possible,” OSU archivist David Peters said. “The less use you have, the longer it will last. Digital copies make it easier for the patron to use and require less wear and tear on the original."

I recently had the opportunity to explore the Secrets of the Century collection with David and multimedia producer Nina Thornton. This collection contains letters written in 1941 during the Oklahoma A&M 50^th anniversary celebration. The letters, written by students, faculty and staff, were placed in a time capsule that was buried in the south wall of the Edmon Low Library. After the capsule was opened in 1991, the handwritten letters were scanned and transcribed. Now anyone can get online and check out this slice of history in the Digital Collections!

While the letters themselves are interesting, what I found more compelling were the feelings behind the letters. They were written as the United States was on the cusp of World War II, just days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and many of the letters convey messages of hope for the future. These letters taught me something I could never learn in a history textbook. They provide readers with a window into the thoughts and feelings of people who lived through one of the most notable events of history.

Yet these letters are just one of the dozens of unique collections through which readers may browse. A wealth of knowledge awaits anyone who sits down for even 30 minutes with this resource.

If you ever have questions about the material found in a particular collection or just want to dig a little deeper into a topic, the knowledgeable staff in the Oklahoma State University Archives are available to answer your questions.

There is so much history to explore in the Digital Collections. I encourage anyone and everyone to check them out. See what you can discover today!

Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern

Information Overload: How Students Consume Media

Media, news, information, data, whatever you call it, we are surrounded by it every day. Yet with the changes in media culture we’ve experienced over the last several years, the ways we consume media has also changed. Especially for students.

Oklahoma State was one of 11 universities that participated in a study about students’ news consumption habits. The study was done through Project Information Literacy, a nonprofit research institute that, according to the group’s website, “conducts ongoing, national studies on what it is like being a student in the digital age.” The OSU Library had the unique opportunity to serve as the liaison between OSU and the authors of the study.

While many people, myself included, might assume that most college students obtain the news through social media, the study found that most students are “multi-modal.” This means they consume media through social media, online newspapers and discussions with peers and professors.

The report details five big takeaways from the research, including a summary of the various pathways millennials take to get the news, and how and why students share news on social media.

The findings are followed by recommendations and solutions made by journalists, librarians and educators. One of the most important and interesting solutions, in my opinion, is teaching students from an early age to read the news critically and ask questions in order to develop “mental and intellectual frameworks for credibility testing of information,” (Head, Wihbey, Metaxas, MacMillan, & Cohen, 2018).

Matt Upson, the director of undergraduate instruction and outreach services at the library, believes that teaching students to evaluate the news is crucial to their understanding of their world.

“Traditional media is often portrayed as 'fake news,' and the nature of social media often prevents us from figuring out exactly where our information is coming from,” Upson said. “It can be easy to confuse what’s misinformation and what’s true.”

He hopes that the librarians, faculty and staff at OSU can create a supportive environment where students can continue reading and digesting the news in an informed manner.

“Students are interested in news; they want to share it, to be participants, to make a difference,” he said. “How can we help them do that and be more effective and efficient users of media?”

Teaching students to critically read the news and ask questions provides them with a foundation to consume information analytically and think for themselves. It is our responsibility as consumers to engage with the news. We cannot turn a blind eye to the events around us, but we cannot blindly accept everything we read, either.

This study is incredibly important for students, journalists, educators and librarians. If you’re interested in reading more about this study, you can find the full report at www.projectinfolit.org.

Sources:
Head, A. J., Wihbey, J., Metaxas, P., MacMillan, M., & Cohen, D. (2018, October). How Students Engage with News: Five Takeaways for Educators, Journalists, and Librarians (Rep.). Retrieved http://www.projectinfolit.org/uploads/2/7/5/4/27541717/newsexecutivesummary.pdf

Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern

For the Love of Maps

Not many people can truly say that their childhood interest in video games led them to their future career. Yet for Kevin Dyke, the head of the Maps and Spatial Data department in the library, that’s exactly what happened.

This week, I sat down with Kevin, and we discussed how he got started in mapping, some of his work at the Edmon Low Library and his ideas for the future of Maps and Spatial Data.

“When I was a kid playing video games, I fell in love with the interactive maps that you would use playing different games,” Kevin said. “That was my first real foray into loving maps.”

 From there, his passion only continued to grow. After studying history at Truman State University, he got his master’s in geography with an emphasis in geographic information science at the University of Minnesota. Eventually, Kevin and his wife both found jobs at OSU and moved to Stillwater.

Shortly after he began working at OSU in August 2016, he hosted his first Mapping 101 workshop. Mapping 101 has become widely popular since the first workshop. The students dive into the basics of geographic information systems (GIS) and different types of maps. In the future, Kevin hopes to expand his workshop offerings to other topics, like data visualization and coding languages, such as HTML, JavaScript and CSS.

“I want things that people will enjoy,” Kevin said. “I think these topics would be well received. For anyone in academia, there’s always uses for those sorts of skills.”

We also discussed the advancements he’s made in Maps and Spatial Data thanks to the generous donations of the McCasland Foundation. The gifts of the foundation have allowed Kevin and his team to digitize almost 2,000 maps. The McCasland Digital Maps Collection alone boasts nearly 40,000 page views.

“It’s been a long, fruitful relationship with the McCasland Foundation,” Kevin said.

And the digital maps aren’t just for OSU faculty, staff and students. The public can access the maps too. In fact, Kevin recalls chatting with people from as far as California who want to use the maps in their publications. The maps are part of the Congressional Serial Set, so they are public domain.

“When we get requests for a map, we provide people an archival quality digital copy at no cost,” Kevin said. “As a land grant institution, we’re here to serve the public.”

He is also in the process of perfecting a software he developed that allows users to select an area of land and find historic maps of that area. For example, if you wanted to see maps of the OSU campus from 1950, you could select the current campus area and the software would pull the maps from the digital collection that most closely resemble that space – “all within 150 milliseconds,” Kevin said.

If you ever need a copy of a map or simply have questions about something you’ve seen online in the digital collections, do not hesitate to reach out to Kevin! After speaking with him, it was very clear to me that he is extremely passionate about maps and helping other people love and understand them too. He’s knowledgeable, excited and more than willing to help anyone with their research.

The basement, where Maps and Spatial Data is located, is currently under construction. But you can reach Kevin through email or by setting up an appointment with him.

405-744-9731
Lib-map@okstate.edu

Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern

Insert Tech Here

The tech-related resources available at the Edmon Low Library are seemingly endless. Everything from virtual reality studios to flight simulators to 3D printing is offered by the Edmon Low Creative Studios. All of these great technologies, as well as many others, were showcased at Insert Tech Here. Insert Tech Here was an open-house style library event where students, faculty and staff could learn more about all of the technological resources the Edmon Low Creative Studios has to offer.

As the Event Communications Intern, I had the opportunity to host the livestream portion of this event. I kept the livestream audience up-to-date on what was happening at the event and interviewed a handful of the event presenters to get more information about the studio where they were stationed. The presenters shared information on how students can obtain access to the various studios, what they can use them for and interesting projects they had seen completed using that specific technology.

Not having much livestream experience beforehand, I was incredibly nervous for this event. I spent the few weeks leading up to the event preparing by drafting a script and writing interview questions to ask the presenters. When the day of the event came, I was even more nervous, especially when the livestream began. The first step was to give the introduction. I welcomed the audience and gave a rundown of what all would happen during the event. After this, I felt a little more confident but was still anxious about how the rest of the event would go. The next step was the interviews. My first interview was with Shannon Garde, and we talked about the Tech To Go resource offered by the Edmon Low Creative Studios. After this interview I felt even more confident. This pattern continued through the rest of the event, so by the end of it I was more comfortable and confident than I could have thought. After the event was over, I realized that I never had anything to worry about.

The event was livestreamed through the Edmon Low Library Facebook page. This allowed the online audience to interact with and learn more about the studios, even if they were not able to attend the event. Viewers were also encouraged to leave comments on the livestream to have their questions answered by tech experts at the event. Several door prizes were also given away to attendees throughout the event.

At the event, the winners of the Library Creativity Award were announced. The winners spoke about their creative process and how they came to create their final product. Most of the LCA winners had utilized resources in the Creative Studios to create their winning project. I thought this was interesting because each winner created something so different from the others, so it was neat to actually be able to see what is possible when utilizing the Edmon Low Creative Studios. As a student, I found this incredibly relevant because I am always looking for ways to make my projects stand out and be the best that they can be.

During the process of preparing for the event and hosting the livestream, I was able to take away a lot of valuable lessons. There were times when I was stressed and wasn’t sure if I would be able to do it or I doubted my ability to do well. I learned to be confident in myself and that stepping out of my comfort zone can be incredibly rewarding. Looking back now, the biggest lesson I learned was no matter how much you prepare for something, sometimes things happen that you can’t prepare for and you have to be OK with going with the flow. Going into the event we had planned to do two interviews, but as the event went on we had some extra space to fill, so by the end of it I interviewed six people. This wasn’t what we had initially planned, but we went with it, and it ended up turning out well and added a lot to the event.

The purpose of Insert Tech Here was to showcase all of the technology the Edmon Low Creative Studios has to offer. The Creative Studios is home to Tech To Go, a resource that allows students to check out the latest technology free of charge, but there is also so much more. The 3D Printing Creative Studio, the Jim & Liz Wise Virtual Reality Creative Studios, the Virtual Simulation Creative Studio (which holds the new flight simulator!), the McCasland Foundation Data Visualization Studio, the Windows and Adobe Studios (which hold the Jim & Liz Wise Digital Music Upgrade software) and the Recording and Presentation Studio are all part of the Edmon Low Creative Studios.

These rooms are all available to students, faculty and staff and can be reserved on the Edmon Low Creative Studios website. The Edmon Low Creative Studios are located on the east side of the first floor of the Edmon Low Library.

Be sure to utilize these resources to take your projects to the next level!

Post by Teryn Moorman, Event Communications Intern.

OkState Yearbook Collection

The OSU Libraries aims to make learning and research information readily available for students, faculty and citizens alike. The Oklahoma State University Yearbook Collection is one of the countless ways that OSU Libraries achieves this goal. With over 80 editions, the collection is a thorough resource about the university and it's history.

From 1910 to 1991, Oklahoma State published an annual yearbook that detailed activities, clubs and current events that happened on campus that year. Each edition varies based on the time period and what was going on in the world at that moment. It's fascinating to see how changing eras are reflected in the design, writing and pictures of each yearbook.

In 1944, during World War II, the yearbook was printed with a silver metallic Statue of Liberty on the cover. In 1974, the yearbook cover was a light blue denim material with bubbly lettering. My personal favorite is the 1988 edition, when the cover was printed with hundreds of people's faces in black and white.

The tangible publications are located in the Peggy V. Helmrich Browsing Room on the second floor of Edmon Low. Toward the back wall, they are on the right shelving unit and are available for anyone to look at throughout the day while in the Browsing Room. In addition, the yearbooks are on display in the foyer of Edmon Low every year during the week of homecoming. This is an ideal activity to engage OSU alumni as they return to celebrate the homecoming season.

All yearbooks are also digitized online, so that anyone may access the yearbook collection from any computer. The books can be viewed through the OSU Library website, where a specific edition can be selected and "flipped through" electronically.

During homecoming week this past October, I realized the yearbook collection is much more than a group of old books. Even as I was setting up and taking down the display, people would approach the table and ask about certain editions. Students, faculty and staff alike could be seen perusing the collection, looking for relatives or friends from the past.

It's important to be aware of the history in order to understand the present and prepare for the future. The Yearbooks are an intriguing window into the history of Oklahoma State University that will continue to unify the Cowboy family for years to come.

Posted by Tatum Wallace, Electronic Communications Intern for OSU Library Communications

Let's Get Social!

It may come as a surprise to some that the OSU Library, as well as other university libraries, are on social media. You may ask “What could a library tweet/post/share that is interesting to followers?”

The answer is more complex than you’d think. Because the young people of today would rather search for information online than approach a help desk, it is essential for institutions of higher education to maintain a helpful and informative online presence.

OSU Library implements social media in its everyday communications by producing content and engaging with followers on multiple platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Let's discuss how other university libraries are doing the same.

Harvard University Library works splendidly as an ambassador for other university accounts. Retweets and shares on social platforms, like Twitter, show endorsement of others and provide the author and sharer with a public partnership. This is a way to create long-term supporters within the university community. OSU Library is regularly endorsed by Oklahoma State University, the OSU Alumni Association and Pete’s Pet Posse, which provides opportunities for library content to reach social media users beyond its own followers.

The University of Illinois Library is swift with student engagement, responding to #AskALibrarian inquiries with answers and suggestions as well as requesting student opinion through online polls. This gives users a way to reach out to knowledgeable library staff for information they may not know how to find. OSU Library also works to respond to questions swiftly to provide students with necessary information and suggestions for finding resources in the future.

Kansas University Library regularly uses YouTube to share helpful videos with its followers. These mainly include coverage of events and how-tos, which use motion and info graphics to apply knowledge more quickly than traditional means. This is vital when publishing for a young audience who is less likely to spend time watching a video. Studies on viewership show that 20% of viewers will click away after just 10 seconds, and 45% will be long gone by the one minute mark. Therefore, short, informative clips are most effective for gaining and holding attention. OSU Library uses this tactic when publishing content geared toward students.

In keeping with the digital age, OSU Library strives to reach, interest and engage the students of OSU through the means discussed as well as others. By answering student inquiries, posting about library services and promoting events on multiple platforms, OSU Library is working to attract followers to the building as well as create brand ambassadors for the future.

See how OSU library is using social media to reach our audience. Find us through the links above or search for our accounts listed below:

Facebook: Edmon Low Library
Twitter: @OkstateLibrary
Instagram: @OkstateLibrary
YouTube: @OkstateLibrary

Post by Jennifer Barnett, E-Communications intern for OSU Library Communications