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

Fostering Creativity at the Library

Every day, students across campus let their creativity shine through various personal or class projects. The OSU Library wants to provide students of all majors with a platform to showcase their talents and celebrate creativity in all of its many forms.

The Library Creativity Award is an annual challenge hosted by the OSU Library in which students are encouraged to submit their creative works for the opportunity to win up to $1,000. Students may enter their projects in four categories: 2D, 3D, Motion and Wild Card. The winner of each category is awarded $300, and one entry is selected to receive the title of Best in Show along with a $1,000 grand prize.

The possibilities to what students can submit are limited only by how big they can dream. Past winners have submitted 3D models, videos and even apps!

William Davis, a previous LCA winner, understands the importance of this award for fostering creativity across campus.

“The Library Creativity Award encourages students to think outside of the box and apply their skills in new and innovative ways,” William said. “This competition challenged not only my ability to come up with ideas, but also my ability to refine and execute them.”

The entries are judged based on originality, creativity and the use of library resources. Now, “use of library resources” can mean a lot of things. Of course, the more obvious interpretations could mean using the 3D printers in the Edmon Low Creative Studios or using software on library computers. It could also mean looking through books for inspiration or checking out a study room to work on your project.

This award is just one of the many ways the OSU Library encourages students to foster their creativity. The Edmon Low Creative Studios, for example, allows students year-round access to an audio studio, 3D printers and tons of equipment that’s available for check out through the Tech to Go desk.

On more than one occasion, I have checked out a camera from the Tech to Go desk. After taking a photography class, I fell in love with the art. Yet once the class ended, so did my access to a DSLR – or so I thought. By checking out a camera at the library, I was able to pursue one of my creative passions without the financial burden of purchasing my own.

Another personal favorite way to find inspiration is in the quartos section of the library. The books here range in subject from fashion to photography, geography to history. I could spend hours browsing through these massive books, finding inspirations in the photos and stories.

The Library Creativity Award is unique in that it does not limit students based on their major or interests. Everyone is encouraged to enter, whether you’re an engineer, biologist or education major. The OSU Library wants students to explore new and unique ways of thinking and creating while providing them with the resources to do this.

The award is open to all students at Oklahoma State University. Submissions for LCA are due Monday, April 8. You can find more comprehensive guidelines or previous LCA winners on the library’s website.

The OSU Library wants students to succeed in all areas of their lives and provide them with the resources to support and encourage them in every aspect of their educational journey at OSU.

There are millions of things to be inspired by in the library. What inspires you? 

Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern

Grab a Chair and Stay a While

Fun fact: there are 26 different types of chairs in the library.

Some of you may be asking “So what?”, “Why does this matter?” or, more likely, “How do you know this?” Pull up a chair, and I will answer all of your questions.

No, I did not go through every floor of the library tallying the different types of chairs. Rather I stumbled upon this bit of information during a conversation with one of my supervisors. At first, it just seemed like a random fact about the collection of furniture the library has accrued throughout its many years of operation, but the purpose of these chairs is far greater than just providing a place to sit.

The variety of chairs serve an important purpose: to accommodate the needs of the students at Oklahoma State University. The library has cushy chairs, rigid chairs, tall chairs and short chairs. Chairs with arms, chairs on wheels, chairs of wood and chairs of steel. Bean bag chairs! Chairs that look like stairs! (Yes, you can sit on those). I’m getting carried away.

If you plan on spending hours at the library, hunched over your notes, you want to be comfortable. Otherwise, that hours-long study session you had in mind might just be cut short. Take it from someone who has spent many a finals week on the fourth floor of the library, things sprawled across a study carrel. You need a comfortable chair to power through those grueling hours.

Of course, chairs are not the only factor in creating a comfortable study environment. Temperature, cleanliness and lighting all play a huge role in our mood and focus. John DeGeorge, the manager of project support services at the Edmon Low Library, understands this better than anyone.

“If there’s any way we can accommodate our students to make them a little more comfortable and fit their style of studying, it’s nice to be able to provide that for them,” John said. “Little things contribute to that, like temperature, electrical needs and safety. We want to make sure it’s a safe environment.”

Things like clean restrooms, dry entryways and plenty of free outlets are all small things that can make a big difference in how someone feels when they visit the library. A flickering light or a chair that’s too hard can become distractions and make studying even harder than it already is.

The OSU Library’s accommodation efforts go beyond simply fixing or maintaining the library facilities. The library recently added grommet outlets to the tables in the Anne Morris Greenwood Reading Room. This eliminates the need for students to trail their chargers across the floor or crawl under tables or behind chairs to find the sole outlet hiding on the wall.

Three new study rooms were also completed this year on the third floor of the library. John said that the study rooms are one of the more popular spaces in the library, and his team has tried to create spaces that are ideal for both larger groups and single students.

There is no plan to slow down anytime soon. New study bars are currently under construction on the fourth floor, and this summer, the entire third floor will get a facelift.

“We’ll re-carpet, paint the whole area and try to put in colors that are more conducive to studying,” John said. “It will be a change I think the students will appreciate when they get back in the fall.”

The library is for everyone, and the people at the Edmon Low Library strive to make it a comfortable environment that facilitates learning. There are a number of people who work behind the scenes to keep the library neat, clean and functioning properly so that students can study successfully. This includes making sure there are chairs that suit a range of preferences.

I feel that the careful consideration of little things, such as a broken window blind or even something as small as a chair, show just how much the OSU Library cares about its students. So whether you’re looking for something more structured, like a solid wooden chair, or something softer, like a cushioned armchair, the library has a place for you.

Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern

Searching for Answers: The Whats, Hows and Whys of Research

The word “research” is thrown around on college campuses like a Frisbee is thrown around Library Lawn on a sunny spring day. Students hear it in every class. It does not discriminate based on major or interests. But what exactly is research?

This is a question I have asked multiple times over the course of the last few weeks. With the Undergraduate Library Research Award applications open, I began wondering who can apply and what type of research qualifies for the award. Through a bit of investigation of my own, I’ve learned that research takes on a variety of forms and covers many topics.

Perhaps the most important discovery I made was how many things fall under the umbrella of research. Performing what one may consider more traditional research (visions of hypotheses and lots of tests fill my head) is not the only form or process for performing research. An artist searching for new techniques or methods may speak with other artists, visit museums or test out new materials. A dietician could study dietary patterns in a group of people or try out new recipes. A journalist may interview various sources or read dozens of news articles. Research does not fit inside a nice, neat box. It reaches beyond what we may expect.

I’ve also learned that research is a conversation. It is a dialogue between many sources, and we, as researchers, must determine which aspects of the conversation we should digest. How do these voices work together and help us understand the broader picture? Which voices should we listen to and which should we question? Not all information and sources are credible, and delving in further to determine the truth is sometimes necessary. These are all important elements of well-rounded research.

I never realized how much research I have actually done during my college career, and I now realize the important role research will play in my future. Professionals, regardless of industry, perform research nearly every day. But what good does this research do if it just sits on your computer?

This brings me back to the Undergraduate Library Research Award. The OSU Library encourages students to share their research work with the world through ULRA. Graphic designers, architects, entrepreneurs, engineers and really anyone with a thirst for knowledge and the drive to seek out information qualifies for this award. Students who wish to apply should submit a 750-1,000 word essay describing their research process and a finished or nearly complete version of the research project. Participants have the opportunity to win $1,500 for their work. Awards of $750 are also available for honorable mentions.

The OSU Library provides students with the opportunity to apply for ULRA in hopes of inspiring and supporting research across campus. It also provides students with dozens of resources to succeed in their research, such as research guides, databases, subject librarians and research data services. This also includes SHAREOK, the joint institutional repository that I discussed in my previous post.

All of this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many facets to research that would probably take more than a single blog post to truly explain. My hope is that you do some research of your own and learn more about the different types of research and why it is important. Of course, it helps us make discoveries we otherwise would not have made, but it does more than give us facts. It connects us to other people, other cultures and other ways of thinking. Research broadens our horizons beyond what can be found in the classroom. All it takes is a little motivation, commitment and curiosity.

Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern 

SHAREOK Gives Access to Scholarly Work

Access to scholarly work and research is an incredibly important aspect of any university curriculum. Luckily, the Oklahoma State University Libraries have made accessing scholarly work easier than ever with SHAREOK.

SHAREOK is a joint institutional repository for the Oklahoma State University Libraries, the University of Oklahoma Libraries and the University of Central Oklahoma Max Chambers Library.

Essentially, it is a place for students and faculty to deposit digital versions of their work. SHAREOK houses theses, dissertations, research reports and more from some incredibly talented and brilliant people across the state. Why is this so important? Well, the documents are all open access, meaning they can be read by anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Because the documents on SHAREOK are all open access, this provides students with a way to find scholarly work after they graduate. For a student like myself who will graduate in May, this is exciting news. I currently have access to a plethora of databases provided by the library, yet once May rolls around, that access will no longer be available. SHAREOK allows students like myself to transition into their postgraduate lives while preserving one of the educational assets they had at OSU.

Juliana Nykolaiszyn, a professor in the Digital Resources and Discovery Services department at the OSU library, is responsible for maintaining SHAREOK at OSU.

“The whole goal is to make everything open, accessible and free,” Juliana said. “Not only for students here at OSU, but throughout the state of Oklahoma and worldwide.”

Students are not the only ones who benefit from this platform. When faculty submit their work to SHAREOK, they gain another layer of visibility in the scholarly world. Rather than just allowing it to sit on their computers, unseen and unused, professors can submit their articles, presentations, posters or other work to SHAREOK where anyone in the world may now find it.

Clarke Iakovakis, an assistant professor in Research and Learning Services, works to increase the visibility of SHAREOK at OSU. He explained some of the benefits faculty gain by submitting their work to the repository.

“It’s this movement toward making what has been invisible more visible,” Clarke said. “There are people who are interested in really building their online scholarly profiles and sharing the work that they do. Downstream, other researchers can benefit from it, but it also can help build their profiles as researchers.”

While the benefits to students and faculty may be evident, the benefits of SHAREOK extend beyond what we see at OSU. Professionals in every industry have access to the material. The research conducted at OSU is often publically funded, so why shouldn’t the public be able to learn from the research, too? Furthermore, peer-reviewed research has traditionally been limited by subscription-only paywalls, the costs of which have risen dramatically in the last two decades. SHAREOK provides everyone with a way to continue learning and using the information on the platform without the financial burden of paying for a subscription service.

People around the globe can explore the information available on the platform. They may discover something that, had they been required to purchase access, they may never have learned. After all, knowledge is one of the greatest treasures. Why shouldn’t we share ours with the world?

Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern

Available Online

With the craziness of school, work and daily life, finding time to get to the library can be tough.

Luckily, the OSU Library knows this and has created several ways for students to continue learning and using the library without walking through Edmon Low’s big brass doors.

The library provides an abundance of online services and resources to students at Oklahoma State. Anywhere Library Access allows students who are off campus to simply log on using their OSU email and password. They can then access thousands of databases, articles, books and journals that are online or can be requested and picked up at the library.

Teryn Moorman, the OSU Library event communications intern, said she is thankful for the library’s online access, especially during her busy pre-finals and finals weeks.

“I can complete assignments from the comfort of my own home,” Teryn said. “I can also keep learning over breaks!”

Document Delivery is another favorite among students. The library is home to millions of books, and I feel extremely fortunate to have this resource at the tips of my fingers. However, while books are a resource that we have tons of, time is not. Document Delivery makes the potentially time-intensive task of finding a book stress-free. Students can go to the library’s website and request the book they need. The book will be retrieved and placed at the Circulation Desk for students to grab on the way to the next activity in their hectic schedules.

Even with the plethora of books at the library, sometimes it just doesn’t have the book you’re looking for. Not to worry, the library planned for this too. Interlibrary Services allows students to go online and request books, articles, journals and more! If available, ILS simply borrows the requested material from another library or institution and, when it arrives, places it at the Circulation Desk to be picked up.

Alex Cooper, a graduate student at OSU, uses Document Delivery and ILS regularly.

“ILS and Doc Delivery are great, especially when I’m in a hurry,” Alex said. “I like being able to just go pick the book up. It saves me a lot of time.”

But it doesn’t stop there. Students can go online to book study rooms, browse the library’s digital collections and even renew books. Citation and research guides, digital maps, databases and more are also available online.

Personally, I use the study room reservation and book renewal services the most. I find the online study room reservation system particularly convenient because when it comes to group projects, finding somewhere on campus to get together is tough. Reserving a room online ensures that my group will have a quiet place to work, and it only takes about 30 seconds to make the reservation! It couldn’t be easier.

The services I’ve mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. They are there to facilitate learning and make students’ lives just a bit simpler. I’m incredibly thankful to have these services available to me, and I know my experience at OSU would have been a lot different without the Edmon Low Library and its resources.

If you ever have questions about the online services and resources the library offers, you can always chat with someone at the library. Don’t worry, you can do that online too.

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