Information Update - Fall 2009

Shifting Roles in the Weinberg Memorial Library

It has been an exciting year of transitions in the Weinberg Memorial Library. Last summer we wished a fond farewell to Katie Duke, our Information Literacy Coordinator. In September 2008 we welcomed Part-time Public Services Librarian George Aulisio to our team; his primary job role was to serve students and faculty at the Reference Desk during the day, while we conducted a thorough search for a new Information Literacy Coordinator. This summer we are pleased and excited to announce that our search for a new Information Literacy Coordinator was successful, and the librarian who will be following in Katie Duke's footsteps is our own Bonnie Oldham. Formerly the Distance Learning Library Services Coordinator, Bonnie brings five years of experience in the Weinberg Memorial Library to this new position, not to mention 19 total years of experience in academic libraries.
 
Bonnie's selection as our new Information Literacy Coordinator meant that her position as Distance Learning Library Services Coordinator became vacant, and the Library commenced another search for an energetic, enthusiastic librarian to step into Bonnie's role in a full-time capacity. After a search with one of the largest applicant pools ever seen at the Library, George emerged as the most qualified candidate and the best fit for this position. Thus, we welcome George Aulisio as our new Distance Learning Library Services Coordinator and Evening Public Services Librarian.
 
Bonnie was born in Harrisburg, PA, and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. She has lived in Georgia and New Jersey, and twenty years ago she returned to Pennsylvania, where she has remained ever since. She currently resides in Shavertown. She received her undergraduate degree (A.B.) in History from Chestnut Hill College, her Master of Library Science degree from Kutztown University, and her Master of Science in Organizational Management degree from Misericordia University. George grew up in Old Forge, PA, and still calls Old Forge his home. George received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degree from Bloomsburg University, his Master of Library Science degree from Drexel University, and is currently pursuing his Master of Liberal Arts degree at the University of Pennsylvania.
 
If you are a student or faculty member in the Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Exercise Science and Sport, or Nursing Departments, then Bonnie is the librarian you will want to get to know. She is the collection development and information literacy liaison to these departments, just as George is the liaison to the Philosophy, Communication, Mathematics and Computer Science Departments. Both are especially looking forward to working more with faculty and students in their collection development areas. George will be looking for ways to integrate information literacy into the curriculums of the departments to which he serves as liaison. In her new role, Bonnie is looking forward to improving the information literacy curriculum for the whole Library Department, as well as developing new ways to assess our information literacy program as a whole, based on student learning outcomes.
 
When asked what project or library initiative is the one they are most proud of contributing to in their former roles in the Library, both cited the revision of the Undergraduate Academic Integrity Tutorial, which has been rolled out this summer to incoming undergraduate freshmen and transfer students. Both Bonnie and George were on the team that saw to this revision, where the goal was to make the tutorial into a more dynamic and interactive learning tool for students. George's experience with online video as a mode of information delivery played a big role in the success of this revision. In addition, Bonnie also led the revision of the Library home page, which went live in January 2007. The home page revision was the result of extensive research into the needs and preferences of our students as Library users, and remains one of the projects of which Bonnie is most proud.
 
Bonnie Oldham and George Aulisio
Bonnie Oldham and George Aulisio
User-centered projects like these are what we can expect from Bonnie and George in their new roles as well. For instance, one way that Bonnie is looking forward to integrating information literacy into our Library services for distance learning students will be to design an information literacy module which can be easily plugged into any ANGEL course, in particular the University's online programs. This will give distance learning students access to the Library's resources and to the librarians themselves, all right at their fingertips. Along these same lines, George is looking forward to exploring the possibility of live webcasts for online courses, in which he would deliver information literacy instruction online, in real time. Webcasts like these could then be recorded and archived for the students who were unable to view the sessions live, thus giving the distance learning students the same access to the Library's services that are received by traditional students.
 
George can be found in the Library most evenings of the week, Sunday through Thursday, while Bonnie is easiest to find during the day, Monday through Friday. Furthermore, if you are a student or faculty member seeking information literacy instruction for yourself or your class, please contact Bonnie at oldhamb3@scranton.edu or at 570-941-4000 to schedule a one-on-one or class session.
Donna Mazziotti
Pride, Passion, Promise: Experience Our Jesuit Tradition