Alfred University Libraries welcomes Melina Sanchez as the Evening Reference Assistant in Scholes Library. As an AU Alum and a former Library Student Assistant herself, Melina is very familiar with the academic needs of college students. In the role of Evening Reference Assistant, she is responsible for library services, assisting students with their research questions and facilitating the use of Scholes Library as well as acting as a supervisor and job mentor to the student employees working evening shifts. Melina brings a strong commitment to customer service and student development to the role.

Q&A with Melina

What was your background before Alfred University?  

I graduated from Alfred University in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a minor in Writing. During my sophomore year, I began my journey as a student worker at Herrick Library and then was promoted as a student supervisor during my Senior Year. Currently, I work in the Social Work arena and as the Evening Reference Assistant in Scholes Library. 

  
What interests you about your current position?    

What interests me about my current position is being able to work with college students and help them grow in their college journey. Also, being a resource to the college campus and community.  

Do you have any advice for current Alfred University students? 

Don’t underestimate the seasons you go through; they prepare you for what’s ahead and always enjoy a good laugh.  

What do you like to do for fun outside of work?    

Outside of work I enjoy writing, listening to music, and spending time with family and friends.  

What is something new you would like to learn?    

I would like to learn gardening and baking.  

What do you appreciate about the Alfred campus and community? 

I appreciate how welcoming the Alfred community and campus are and the different opportunities the town provides for individuals to grow.  

Please join the Libraries in welcoming Melina!

Alfred University Libraries welcomes Maria Planansky to the position of Collection Management Librarian.

In this role, Maria will oversee acquisitions, cataloging, serials, donations, and electronic resources management across Samuel R. Scholes Library and Herrick Memorial Library and coordinate on State University of New York consortia-wide initiatives for collection management.

Maria will also work as the liaison to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with the Sociology, Criminal Justice and Political Science programs.

What was your background before Alfred University?

For undergrad, I went to Beloit College, which is similar in a lot of ways to Alfred. Both are smaller schools very focused on experiential learning. At Beloit I studied Political Science and Philosophy and continued with that after graduation: I worked at a social science research organization for many years and later taught high school social studies and humanities. More recently, I earned a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Dominican University. While in school, I worked at Dominican University’s Crown Library and the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago.

What interests you about your current position?

So much! The heart of the Collection Management Librarian role is making sure library resources serve students. That means ensuring that students are active participants when it comes to choosing what we include in our library collections.

What social media platforms do you use?

Instagram is my favorite, but Twitter is a close second. I’m not on TikTok, but this basset hound has me rethinking that decision.

Do you have a favorite research or tech tool?

I have favorite research advice.

Earlier this year, sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom wrote an essay on Dolly Parton, called The Dolly Moment. It is really, really good. A week or so after that essay was published, she wrote about her research approach: read around the subject. In McMillan Cottom’s words, “Reading around a subject is about going beyond the object of study to unpack, examine, or pick apart what the person or the object of study represents. That is usually where the good stuff is.”

For straight-up research tools, though, I use Primo’s citation generator. It makes everything so much easier! Citations can be tricky, and Alfred has a great Citation Help LibGuide that’s full of resources.

What are you reading or listening to?

Earlier this summer a friend recommended the novel Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters. It was fantastic! I’ve also been reading novels by Louise Erdrich, one of my favorite authors, and I’m pretty excited for Sally Rooney’s Beautiful World, Where Are You. This past weekend we had the Otis Redding and Carla Thomas album King & Queen on repeat. It was a good weekend.

The Libraries are offering Information Literacy and Library Instruction sessions for all courses at Alfred University. We can provide anything from a basic library orientation to an advanced information literacy sessions.

We are happy to work with you to create a customized session that fits your learning objectives and the needs of your students. For more on the options available to you, check out this menu: Information Literacy Instruction Menu.

To request a library instruction session, please contact your liaison librarian or use this form: Information Literacy Instruction Registration Form.

In an effort to support student learning while maintaining social distancing, numerous spaces around campus have been made available for studying or participating in classes online.

Herrick and Scholes Libraries both have study spaces and computers available. A limited number of reservable spaces are available for commuters or students taking courses online.
Email [email protected] for more information.

Library hours can be found here:
Herrick
Scholes

Campus Computer Labs are available when not in use for scheduled classes. A list of spaces and hours can be found here.

There are additional spaces around campus such as Powell Campus Center, The Science Center, Miller and Seidlin. Some of these spaces are available for students studying specific subjects or require a reservation.
More details can be found here.

Link: https://alfred.libapps.com/libguides/admin_c.php?g=1013274&p=7837589

The Information Literacy Librarian, Kevin Adams, has created a series of Information Literacy modules to support student learning. These modules have been created for AU faculty to easily import into their Canvas courses. If you are interested in using any of these modules in a course, just email Kevin Adams at [email protected].

Each module has clearly stated learning outcomes. Topics currently include library concepts, finding sources, developing research questions, evaluating sources, and providing citations in MLA, Chicago, and APA. You can explore the modules here: Information Literacy Modules.

Engineering and Scholarly Communication Librarian, Samantha Dannick authors jocose essay in a national library science publication.

“The Invertebrates Scale of Librarianship”, published in the January issue of College & Research Libraries News (C&RL News) , is a playful and “irreverent” guide to finding your niche in librarianship. C&RL News is the official newsmagazine of the Association of College & Research Libraries.

Dannick encourages library professionals to establish their own personal  “policies” and “professional value system” by way of behavior analogies between librarians and jellyfish, nudibranch, and octopus. Dannick writes, “The Invertebrates Scale of Librarianship is intended to help librarians recognize and name their own professional tendencies… There will be times to be an Octopus, a Nudibranch, and a Jellyfish. Most of us will have a form that is more comfortable than the others. What’s appropriate is to recognize what that form is, how it helps and hinders, and whether a different form would be more suitable for a given situation.”   What’s a nudibranch? Learn more here.

The full article can be read here: The Invertebrates Scale of Librarianship

Scholes Library will be open Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm.
Herrick Library will be open by appointment only.

Library materials from both Herrick and Scholes are available for pick up via the item request system. Directions on how to use the item request system can be found here.

All requested library materials, including interlibrary loans, will be made available for pick up in Scholes Library.

Printers, scanners and computers are available to current AU students, staff, and faculty in Scholes Library. No appointment is needed.

Services such as Archives and research consultations will be available by appointment in Herrick and Scholes. Please contact directly, the staff or librarian you wish to meet with to make arrangements. Contact information can be found here: Herrick Library; Scholes Library.

The entrances will remain locked and instructions for entry upon arrival will be posted on the doors.

Both book drops will remain available for returns.

For more information on services or how to use the item requests system visit: https://libguides.alfred/COVID

For questions please email: [email protected]

After 29 years at the Samuel R. Scholes Library of Ceramics and the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Mark Smith will be retiring at the end of this year, signaling the end of an era for the Alfred University Libraries.

For nearly three decades, Mark has been recognized, appreciated, and widely beloved across campus for his passionate advocacy for and devotion to the College of Ceramics, his boisterous laughter, and his dynamic and all-encompassing fervency in everything he does. After obtaining his Master of Library Science degree from the University at Buffalo, he has served the Alfred University Libraries, and Scholes Library in particular, in a variety of positions, including Reference Librarian, Information Systems Librarian & Head of Technical Services, Collection Management Librarian, and, most notably, Director of Scholes Library & Associate Dean of Libraries.

During his extensive career, he has shepherded Scholes Library with his characteristic nurturing style and roll-with-the-punches attitude, through all of the tremendous computing and technological shifts of the past few decades, including the implementation of numerous digital systems, tools, and resources. In addition, he led several strategic planning processes, directed multiple library space redesign initiatives, and helped to establish lasting cross-library partnerships while tirelessly championing the unique and specialized mission of Scholes Library. Mark served on myriad College and University committees including Middle States Steering Committees, Promotion and Tenure Committees, Search Committees, the College of Ceramics Faculty Council, Faculty Senate, and the Advisory Council on Technology.

Mark came to librarianship as a second career after a decade of teaching music and theater in Canisteo, NY. He has continued to share these gifts with the community though his leadership and involvement with The Orpheus Chorale, the Hornell Area Community Cantata Choir, the Hornell Community Theatre, and as a board member of the Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes, from which he received the Arts Partnership Award in 2013.

As a leader and mentor, Mark has consistently modeled how to lead with empathy, using the heart as well as the mind. Colleagues through the years could tell stories of times they brought Mark an idea and watched him immediately light up with excitement and enthusiastic support in direct proportion to their own excitement and enthusiasm. Mark has always been a master at nurturing the seed of an idea and ensuring it has ample opportunity to thrive. His approach to the cultivation of people has been similar, providing just the right mix of encouragement, direction, and space for each person to soar as their best self.

Throughout his career, Mark has drawn energy and inspiration from the relationships he created through his professional involvement in groups outside of Alfred. For instance, he has been the president and executive board member of the SUNY Librarians Association, the Chair of the SUNY Council of Library Directors, a member of the SUNY Provost’s Faculty Advisory Council on Teaching & Technology, a board member of the South Central Regional Library Council, and a contributor to the New Media Consortium’s highly influential Horizon Report. He received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Librarianship in 2004 and the Friend of SUNY Librarians Association Award in 2012.

Mark’s colleagues throughout the years are grateful that he answered the call to forge a new vocational path into the world of librarianship. His second act has inspired, uplifted, and left us smiling a little bit more than before we heard and joined in his song.

Thank you for all of the laughter, support, and creativity you have given us, Mark. We wish you all good things in the next act of your life’s adventure.