STARS

Kerry Keegan, Editor

Greetings, fellow STARS! I hope this message finds you well and that you’re all enjoying summer.

My name is David Ketchum and I’m excited to be the STARS Chair for 2019-2020. I’m currently the Head of Access Services at the University of Oregon Libraries, and have been in this position for 3.5 years. Before that I was the Resource Sharing Librarian at UO and have been involved in resource sharing work since 2000, when I started as a student assistant in the ILL office at the University of Montana Mansfield Library. I’ve been active in STARS since 2012.

It’s hard to believe that ALA was over a month ago…time certainly got away from me! I want to thank everyone who was able to attend the conference and participate in the STARS All Committee Meeting and Interlibrary Loan Discussion Group. We had excellent presentations and discussion and received feedback from our more than 100 participants (!) that will help make our DG program even better next time. Thanks to the Research and Assessment Committee for collecting and compiling the feedback. Thanks, also, to those who were able to attend the STARS/ALCTS co-sponsored program, “Streaming Video: Confronting the Barriers to Sharing Between Libraries.” It’s always exciting to hear about new and innovative ways of transforming access and sharing resources between libraries, and since this presentation, the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries has issued a press release indicating they will begin ILL for streaming video in Spring 2020! Much appreciation is also due to the Outreach and Promotion Committee for organizing, once again, a fantastic social and awards recognition event. It was a blast, and I enjoyed seeing many familiar faces and meeting new resource sharing colleagues from around the country.

With ALA behind us, I’d like to extend gratitude for the amazing job of our outgoing Chair, Megan Gaffney. Throughout this past year I have been consistently impressed and inspired by Megan and look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the Executive Committee in the year ahead. I also want to thank Heidi Nance and Micquel Little for their ongoing support and leadership this last year as Past-Past Chair and Past Chair, respectively. It is through the dedicated work of our member volunteers that we can accomplish so much and propel our organization and profession forward. That said, I also want to acknowledge the hard work of all outgoing committee chairs and members, as well as those who are continuing or starting committee service this year. Again, it is your enthusiastic participation and service in STARS that helps us succeed.

We have an exciting year ahead, and I anticipate a lot of activity at the RUSA and STARS levels. Some things to look forward to are revisions to the Bylaws and Virginia Boucher OCLC Distinguished ILL Librarian Award requirements; Executive review and response to RUSA’s recent committee census; invigorating the ILL Discussion Group through implementation of a member listserv; possible reimplementation of our very successful ILL 101 preconference event…and so much more.

I look forward to working with all STARS committee volunteers and members in the year ahead.

David Ketchum

Chair, RUSA STARS 2019-2020

 

Research and Assessment Committee
Members of RUSA STARS Research & Assessment Committee met at ALA Annual 2019 to discuss ongoing work and brainstorm on other actions. The Committee has gained a new member, who has been brought up to date on the report definitions project. Our first virtual committee meeting was held on August 12th and included a discussion of strategies for completing the Committee’s primary charge by the end of this year. This process will include multiple opportunities for the ILL community to provide an opinion on whether there is a desire or need for standard definitions in resource sharing reporting. One potential avenue may include a collaboration with the ILL Discussion Group as they explore ways to facilitate discussions between ALA conferences.

Lars Leon, Chair

 

International ILL Committee
This summer, the RUSA STARS International ILL Committee has been analyzing the data collected through the fourth iteration of its International ILL Survey and preparing to disseminate results. Hilary Thompson and Kurt Munson have co-authored a paper titled “International Interlibrary Loan in a Changing Environment: Results from the 2019 RUSA STARS International ILL survey,” which will be presented at the 16th IFLA Interlending & Document Supply Conference, October 9-11, 2019, Prague, Czech Republic. The Committee plans to explore other means of disseminating survey results over the next year.

Hilary Thompson, Chair

 

Legislation & Licensing Committee
The RUSA STARS Legislation & Licensing Committee is reviewing current issues. We invite requests for community-requested actions or trainings and ask they be sent to Committee Chair, William Gee, at geec@ecu.edu.

William Gee, Chair

 

Outreach and Promotion Committee
The RUSA STARS Outreach & Promotion Committee was busy in June, coordinating the Annual Social and announcing Summer 2019 STARGazer Melissa Eighmy Brown.

The Social was a success, with a solid turnout on Friday night of the ALA Annual Conference. We had the STARS Awards Ceremony and welcomed the recipients of the STARS-Atlas Mentoring Award.

Melissa Eighmy Brown’s STARGazer page is available to view at http://www.ala.org/rusa/rusa-stargazing-meet-melissa-eighmy-brown. The next STARGazer should be announced shortly before Midwinter 2020.

The Committee will next meet in August.

To promote community activity on STARS’ social media, please use the form at https://www.formpl.us/form/6477872422191104.

Mike Paxton, Chair

 

Interlibrary Loan Committee
The RUSA STARS Interlibrary Loan Committee has completed work on its new “Handbook of Core Skills and Knowledge for Interlibrary Loan Practitioners.”

This extensive document has been designed to help new members of the ILL community develop skills that will assist in the processing of interlibrary loan requests and to educate readers about the many parts that compose the daily duties of an ILL practitioner. This document’s draft was completed by the previous ILL Committee and is now pending review by the Codes, Guidelines, and Technical Services Committee. We hope to have it available in the next few months.

Mark Sullivan, Chair

 

Education & Training Committee
The RUSA STARS Education & Training Committee’s previous Chair and current Chair have begun to discuss transition plans. The Committee will soon be meeting to discuss program proposals for ALA 2020. Committee members should be on the lookout for a Doodle poll invitation for this upcoming meeting.

Jessica B. Hayes, Chair

 

Atlas Systems Mentoring Award Committee
The RUSA STARS Atlas Systems Mentoring Award Committee received and reviewed six nomination packets for this year’s 2019 awards. Kim Ammons, Access Services Evening Associate from Mount Holyoke College Library and Michelle Taylor, Interlibrary Loan Borrowing Specialist from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Tompkins-McCaw Library for Health Sciences, were selected as this year’s co-winners, based on a ranking of the following criteria:

1. Eligibility:
   1. <2 years in the library profession, OR
   2. b. >2 years in the library profession BUT newly assigned to ILL, resource sharing, or electronic reserves position with little experience in that area
2. Perceived quality or value of responses to questions in the petition letter:
   1. Why are you interested in attending ALA Annual?
   2. What benefits would you like to see in mentoring at ALA Annual?
   3. How might your attendance benefit service at your local institution?
   4. What interests you in interlibrary loan, resource sharing or electronic reserves?

A call for two volunteer mentors went out in May 2019 with the final mentors chosen shortly before ALA Annual. Each mentor connected with an award-winner during the Conference.

The Committee plans to solicit nominations for the 2020 award between September and November 2019. A single winner will be announced in early-Spring 2020.

The Committee also plans to review and revise the STARS Atlas Systems Mentoring Award Committee Manual in Fall 2019-Winter 2020, with a final draft ready by, or before, ALA Annual 2020.

Francie Mrkich, Chair