2022-09-09 SPLAT Curiosity Report: Volume 12, Issue 7

Featured Story

The Challenging Landscape for Academic Libraries

Our society is constantly evolving, and as library workers, our job is to change with it to best meet the needs and interests of our communities. New forms of technology make old forms obsolete- and it’s not just VHS tapes disappearing to make room for DVDs. Hundreds of CDs are purged to make room for video games. Magazines are removed to accommodate a flourishing graphic novel collection. Beyond physical items, the North Idaho College campus has seen a change in its ratio of online classes to in-person classes. Where parking used to be a nightmare (if you weren’t here before seven, you may as well park in the back lot), it is now almost hauntingly easy.

Of course, as with many higher learning institutions, NIC is still working to recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Enrollment numbers are down across the United States- according to a study by National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (https://nscresearchcenter.org/stay-informed/), undergraduate enrollment has decreased by 7.8% from FA19 – FA21. While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how these numbers will change in the coming years, these statistics are frightening to those of us who work in postsecondary education.
As I work in a community college library, our society’s recent changes have brought new questions to mind. My main concern is that, even if our enrollment increases to pre-COVID numbers, it seems unlikely that our in-person to online student ratio will ever return to the way it was. More and more students are turning their attention to online postsecondary education, and with fewer students on campus, there will likely be fewer patrons in our library.

I am writing this in the beginning of our summer session, and campus feels a bit like a ghost town. Over 60% of our course offerings are online this summer…and of those on campus, they are almost entirely science, math, and PE classes. We don’t have any on-campus communication, English, or social science classes- and unfortunately for us, that cuts down on students coming into the library to ask for research assistance.
The combination of new technology and a seemingly-endless pandemic have inevitably changed our society. Now, many of us are wondering how to move forward in this rapidly evolving landscape. Here at Molstead, we have increased our online library instruction, added new online databases, and maintained our Ask a Librarian! chat as we receive an increasing number of online inquiries.

While it is great to accommodate our students’ online learning patterns, I also hope to find new ways to bring larger numbers into our physical space. We have a twice-a-semester event to help students during mid-terms and finals, which has shown that people are still intrigued by events that offer free food and expensive prizes (who knew??). However, I believe we can greatly increase our programming efforts here at Molstead. In my previous positions at the Community Library Network in Hayden and Athol, I spent a lot of time with programming. Public libraries have made large strides toward making their spaces more community-oriented and welcoming.

Though we definitely want to maintain a quiet learning space for students who need to escape their noisy home/dorm life, we can also find ways to engage our patrons in new programming. Ideally, these programs will add value to our current patrons’ studies and interests, while also pulling new users into our space to encourage them to become regular library patrons!

Feel free to reach out with any questions. I would also love to hear your ideas on programming in academic libraries, and how you work to introduce more patrons to your space.

By Brooke Urbaniak 

Fail Forward

We’ve all been there. You pour your heart into a program, and no one shows up. You try something new, and you fall on your face. Sound familiar? Fail Forward is the place to share your failures, and give you the opportunity to share what you learned from them. Did you promote your program in a different way after no one showed up? Maybe you took a new approach to the new thing you were excited about? Awesome! Share your story via our online form so others can learn, and realize that failure is often part of the process.

Failing Forward

When I first started as a makerspace manager I was learning the 3D printers and all the parts to them. Our large printer, a LulzBot Taz6, needed a new PEI (Polyetherimide) sheet – the sheet on the top of the glass plate of the printer to give the 3D print something to ‘stick.’ The adhesive on these eventually wears out and they need to be replaced.

Well I, in my ignorance, hopped on Amazon and looked up PEI sheets. I saw one from the filament manufacturer we prefer and bought it. I felt accomplished. It came in the mail and I proceeded to remove the old PEI sheet and glue the new one on. This went well. Once the plate was re-installed on the printer I ran a test print. The nozzle was dragging on the sheet! What is wrong? I stopped it, grabbed the packaging, and read that the thickness of the new PEI sheet was thicker than the old one. After reading up on the forum I quickly learned how to adjust the Z-axis (up and down) height. This whoops taught me to read even closer than I was on everything 3D printer related.

By Jessica Fleener

Crush Corner

Is there a library you follow on social media who is always doing new and exciting things? How about a blog you follow that inspires you? What about a new idea, book, or resource that you want to share? Library Crush Corner is a place for those working in Idaho libraries to share what inspires them, and who or what they’re crushing on… in a professional sense. Share your story via our online form so we can publish it in a future issue!

Monroe County Library

Shout outs to Monroe County Library, which hosted its third Fix-It Fair on June 4^th. In partnership with the City of Bloomington the library brought together local professionals to offer free repairs for a variety of items. The services available included tool sharpening and repairs for small appliances, electronics, clothing, bicycles, glasses, and toys. In addition, attendees could learn how to make their own repairs in the future.

The Fix-It Fair exemplifies the potential of libraries to weave community resources together into a more accessible and potent whole. Check out this video to see the Fix-It Fair in action!

By Simon Clifford

SPLAT explores the ever-evolving library world and supports library folks as they adapt to meet the needs of their communities. Library folk throughout the state of Idaho volunteer to serve on the Special Projects Library Action Team (SPLAT). Learn more about SPLAT at splat.lili.org

SPLAT is brought to you by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible, in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (LS-246156-OLS-20). The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.