ASSOCIATES (2007, July, v. 14, no. 1) - associates.ucr.edu
Nancy Anderson
LSA Sr./Technical services
David A. Cofrin Library CL404J
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
anderson@uwgb.edu
The 2007 Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) Support Staff conference, The Circle isn’t Round Anymore, was held May 22. We were graciously welcomed to the University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac campus by Library Director Todd Mountjoy and UW Colleges’ Library Support Services Director, Mary Rieder.
Jennifer Kutzik, Information Technician II at Colorado State University, was our keynote speaker. Jennifer urged us to look at our careers, decide what we like to do and what we are good at doing. Know that leaders value loyalty, good advice and the desire to succeed from their employees. We need to combine the two outlooks to find where we can contribute to the organization and build our own reputations while helping our leaders be successful.
Support staff were encouraged to speak up, be creative, be flexible, and maintain a positive attitude. Jennifer used her own abilities, a willingness to learn new technologies, enjoyment of writing, and a love for traveling to enhance her own career. Time was allotted following the keynote speech for library staff from private colleges, UW System campuses, technical colleges, public libraries, and school libraries to share their own stories.
In an afternoon breakout session, Jane Rank, Safety and Risk Manager for UW- Green Bay, presented scenarios to encourage thought-provoking discussion as to what to do in the event of an unexpected disaster. The importance of having a plan and the need to begin developing one if our libraries did not have one was stressed.
Deb Strelka, Coordinator of Library Processing at UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library, demonstrated the use of Macro Express and Marc Edit in different library applications to save technicians from the effects of constant clicking with a mouse or repetitive keystrokes. The capability to issue reports or change multiple bib records with a few key strokes was amazing!
Evelyn Li from UW Fox Valley’s Instructional Technology department demonstrated Microsoft Outlook mail and calendar time-saving features. Color coding appointments, balloting features of email and generating monthly activity statistics were just a few of the topics covered.
Rounding out the afternoon were Carl Ziebell and Jeanne Cheney of Ripon College. They focused on how to develop your student staff with proper training, trust, and rewards. Lori Bessler, Microforms Librarian and Outreach Coordinator for Wisconsin Historical Society, presented solid research skills and resources for helping patrons research their family histories.
About eighty support staff from across the state attended the conference. Evaluation forms for the event indicate that attendees were very satisfied with the conference, and they were returning to their libraries with new ideas, enthusiasm, and knowledge.