Columbia University Libraries: Butler Library’s Media Center and Digital Humanities Center

Bethany Edwards

LIS 698-01: Practicum

Dean Giannini

*Caution: Large-Scale Projects at Work

*Interning at Butler Library

*1) Kim’s Video DVD donation

*2) Reference Desk

*3) Digital Humanities

Center

*Kim’s Video DVD’s

*Cataloging system: Voyager

*Fairly straightforward copy cataloging

*Some foreign films required some detective skills

*Russian characters for “English subtitles”

*The Reference Desk

*Sunday afternoons

*“This is due on Monday.”

*Advanced research questions

*Lots of questions about technology and the library’s online tools.

*CLIO

*Subject Guides

*Printer Privileges?

*Digital Humanities Center

*Official Practicum Project

*Bob Scott, Director

*DHC is in conversation with Digital Science Center and Digital Social Science Center

*Planned future expansion

*DHC: “New in 2012”

*DSC and DSSC have been renovated in the past few years

*DHC has been told they will get a renovation and an additional space

*Assessment of current DHC is planned before renovation/expansion—data driven improvements

*Issues: Delays, no assessment librarian

*DHC: New Space

*Literature review

*Open questions about use of space will be included in faculty focus group sessions

*Unique nature of the space presents challenges

*DHC: Focus Groups

*Focus on faculty: Database

*Focus on process: Best practices in conducting focus groups in libraries

*Focus on action: Questions, notices, meetings

*Focus on the future: Work in progress

*Digital Tools

*Filemaker Pro

*RefWorks

*Google docs

*Familiarity with DHC’s tools*ABBYY Fine Reader

*Adobe Suite

*Nvivo 9

*Arc, Google Earth

*SPSS

*Findings

*Based on previous assessment results, DHC is on the right track in terms of gathering and interpreting data.

*Staff associated with DHC are very enthusiastic

*Lack of an assessment librarian (or someone in a similar role) made the smallest steps more difficult

*“Intern” status has prevented useful interaction with the IRB

*Why hasn’t focus group happened yet?*Faculty seem to respect the DHC and digital scholarship

*Main barrier is time and resources

*DHC director , steering committee, and faculty selected for focus groups have limited time