Personal Reflection, Summation, and Thank You!

 Overall, my visit to the Sawyer Library at Husson University was a nice change compared to the public libraries I have visited for past classes. I especially want to thank Shelly Davis and Diane Hanscom for taking time out of their busy schedules to meet with me and answer my questions. You were both very thorough in your answers even if I wasn't very thorough in my note-taking. I also appreciate how accommodating you both were when I had to reschedule my visit at the last minute. Thank you!

As I said, this was my first visit to an academic library for a class assignment and it was nice to take note of some of the differences. First, Sawyer Library is at Husson University so the patrons are usually students and faculty. There were no kids running around, no frantic parents, just students studying. Second, there was no need to have maker spaces or any other program that may loan out other technology. It's purely an academic library and only has what is necessary for the various programs of study. Third, having a separate IT department makes dealing with what technology they do have a lot easier than in most public libraries. Smaller, more rural public libraries can't afford a separate person to deal with the technology let alone a whole department.

I enjoyed my visit to Husson University and the Sawyer Library. As I said in my first post, my grandmother graduated from Husson in 1948. She was a sorority member and a member of the women's basketball team. Growing up I would often accompany her to both men's and women's basketball games, various alumni events, and events with the alumni of her sorority. If she were still alive I would have had to take her on my interview because she loved visiting the campus and I don't think she had seen the library. So, as I bring this blog to a close, I want to dedicate this assignment to my grandmother, Eunice Harding Sibley 5/9/1928 - 1/12/2020. Thank you for reading!

Library Interview

Disclaimer: I did this interview back in October. Due to personal issues, I am only now writing it up for this blog. Turns out I do not take very good notes and my memory is not what it used to be so instead of writing in question-and-answer format, I’m going to go the narrative route and hope I cover all the important aspects of this assignment.

The entrance to the W. Tom and Bonnie Sawyer Library at Husson University.

After being postponed for a week due to a migraine, I arrived at the Husson University campus for my interview with University Librarian, Shelly Davis, and Resource Discovery and Access Librarian, Diane Hanscom. Diane has worked at the library for many years and Shelly is new, so we all sat down together for the interview. I started off by asking who was responsible for managing the technology used by the library. Since the Sawyer Library is part of a larger whole, Husson University, there is a separate IT department that handles most issues. The librarians and/or student workers may fix a few minor problems that arise but most things, such as hardware issues and program updates, are taken care of by the IT department. As for keeping everything up to date, I was told that the IT department does a pretty good job of staying on top of it. They also handle most of the maintenance and repair of the various systems.

Next, we got into the nitty-gritty about how the network is organized and what systems are available for student use. The wi-fi covers the entire campus, not just the library, so students can be anywhere and access the information they need. Students log in to the system from either their own computers or the computers available within the library. Once logged in, students have access to Google for basic internet searches or they can access the library’s various online resources to search for any information they may need.

The Sawyer library is on the Minerva system which connects students and staff to all the books and materials within the collection as well as other libraries throughout the state both academic and public. For anything outside of the state, the library provides access to Worldcat.org. eBooks are also available through Credo reference and the Maine Infonet CloudLibrary.

Tip sheets on how to use the various databases.

The library also provides access to over 100 databases including, but not limited to, the Maine State Library, EBSCO, and ProQuest. In total, database subscriptions account for $400,000 of the library budget annually.

Library computers for student use.

As for technology within the walls of the library, there are 9 computers available for student and faculty use. Six are located near the entrance and the other three are in the back. For those that prefer to use their own laptops, there are several study carrels available as well as many other desks and tables. There are many outlets along the walls and a charging station is also available if needed.

Merlin Reader

Other technologies found in the library are two black and white and one color printer/copier/scanners which are all networked through the cloud and all available for student use. There is also a microfilm machine, or at least enough parts to put one together, a portable DVD/CD player for use within the library, and for those with visual issues there is a Merlin Reader available.

Security Gates

Besides what is made available to students and faculty, library staff also have access to a computer at the circulation desk, their own color printer, and Diane and Shelly each have their own computers, a PC and a Mac, respectively. As far as security goes, there is a security gate at the entrance/exit to the library and there are security strips in most of the materials to prevent theft. Cybersecurity is handled by the IT department who provides library staff with annual training.

That pretty much brings me to the end of the interview. The library does not have any technology available for students to check out and while the public can access the library and some of the materials within it, they have no access to any of the databases or to the printers.   

After the interview, I was given a tour of the library and allowed to take a few pictures before I said my goodbyes and headed home.

Questions For The Big Interview

 My visit with library staff at Husson University is a little over a week away and I've been putting together a list of questions to ask during the interview. Below is a rough list of questions I plan to ask. Some may be expanded upon or tweaked and others abandoned depending on the flow of the interview.

1.      Who on staff manages the technology?

2.      What types of technology are available for student use and what is available for staff use?

3.      What types of internet-based technologies are provided for student use?

4.      What types of systems do you have and are they up to date?

5.      What type of network, if any, do you have? Wired, wireless, etc.

6.      What type of internet connection do you have and is it able to be accessed outside of the library?

7.      What is the name of the automated library system you are currently using?

8.      How is the technology maintained and repaired? In-house, off-site?

9.      Is there any equipment that students can check out for use outside of the library?

10.  Do you allow any community access to the technology or is it only for students and staff of the University?

11.  How much of the budget is spent on technology, databases, CD’s, video, and DVD software?

12.  Do you have sufficient space for the use of technology? Enough electrical outlets, data ports for the network, and internet?

13.  Is there any special furniture necessary for any of the technologies?

14.  Do you have any assistive or adaptive technology available?

15.  What kind of downloads do students have access to? eBooks, iFlicks, MP3, etc.?

16.  What type of security and cybersecurity measures does the library use to prevent theft and viruses?

17.  What Policies & forms are associated with library technology (e.g. Acceptable Use Policy, Time limited Internet access, etc.)

Setting Up A Visit To Husson University

 It seems like every semester I have to do some sort of library visit and/or interview for one of my ILS classes at UMA. Due to Covid, I have only done one in-person visit while the rest were conducted over Zoom and/or e-mail but everyone I've encountered has been very accommodating considering the circumstances.

Since most of my previous interviews have been with public libraries, I decided early on that I wanted to try to set something up with an academic library. I considered my options and contacted the W. Tom and Bonnie Sawyer Library at Husson University. Husson is located at 1 College Circle in Bangor, Maine and the library is on the second floor of Peabody Hall. I selected this library because my grandmother was an alumnus from the late 1940s and I used to go with her to basketball games at the William P. Newman gymnasium and events at the Cyr Alumni Center. My grandmother always had such pride in the university and I see this visit as a way to honor her memory.

I have never been fond of making phone calls so I sent an e-mail to Diane Hanscom, Resource Discovery and Access Librarian, and cc'd Shelly Davis who is the University Librarian. A few days later I received a wonderful response from Diane saying they would be happy to help me with this assignment and to let them know when I would like to visit. After reviewing my calendar, I decided the afternoon of October 21st would be best for me and verified that day with them. They were fine with the day and we decided the meeting will take place at 2:00pm. I'm not sure who I will be meeting with but they both seemed interested in helping me so maybe they will both take part in the interview. I did promise to send them the questions in advance so they could prepare for the interview and let them know that I was looking forward to meeting them.

W. Tom and Bonnie Sawyer Library
(picture from Husson University website)