Welcome to A Few New Faces!

This summer Langsdale is fortunate to be joined by two budding librarians, Lindsay and Rachel. You may have seen their faces at the reference desk over the last few weeks or months. Now is your chance to learn a little bit more about them and what they’re doing here:

Lindsay has a master’s degree in library science from the University of Maryland. She has been loving her time at Langsdale and appreciates the variety of questions students ask at the reference desk because she gets to learn something new every shift. Lindsay currently works full-time at another career and we’re lucky to have her one night a week. She hopes to transition into the library field and wants to continue working with students in higher education or high school. When Lindsay is not at Langsdale or working at her other career she stays very busy. She plays rugby for the Chesapeake Women’s Rugby Football Club in Baltimore City. She has played for eleven years and been playing for the Chessie for more than five years. She finds that it’s a great community of athletes and a home away from home.  Please stop by and say, “Hi,” to Lindsay if you see her at the reference desk!

Rachel is dangerously close to receiving her master’s in library science from Drexel University. One of her final hurdles is completing her practicum at Langsdale, though we’re trying not to be too hard on her.  She has been enjoying her time at Langsdale thus far and has enjoyed meeting the students, library guests and librarians. Rachel is interested in librarianship because it allows her to support research, learning and curiosity. She loves research and trying to figure out how to make it easier and more effective. Her experience at Langsdale gives her the opportunity to apply what she has learned in school to the “real world.” When she leaves Langsdale, Rachel hopes to become a full-fledged librarian at a college or public library somewhere in the Baltimore area. If you see Rachel at the reference desk, please stop by and say, “Hi,” or ask her a challenging reference question!

Spring 2013: Langsdale Link

Paging a Librarian

I recently read a blog post from the Chronicle of Higher Education about a new twist to roving reference. Roving reference means that a librarian strolls around areas where students are computing answering questions that may arise. While that model takes the librarian to the users, some students are bothered by the continuous strolling of the librarian - perhaps thinking, "is s/he watching me, checking out everything I'm doing?" Others may feel the librarian's "May I help you?" a bit disruptive in their work flow? How then do librarians reach out to the students and respond quickly without interrupting or too much in the students' space?

Brian Matthews, Associate Dean for Learning & Outreach at Virginia Tech, takes an idea from a chain restaurant and other pager models. He suggests that libraries offer some mechanism at each work station that students can use to signal a question or need for assistance. Think of turning your restaurant coffee cup over to signal you'd like a cup of coffee. It could be as simple as putting a solo cup on the top of the user's monitor or desk, or flipping a card up beside the desk (remember putting up the flag on your mailbox when there was mail to go out?).

If you have ideas for signaling that you need help from a librarian, please let us know what they are!

A new face at the library

As the new student liaison, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Mariama Gregory. I study corporate communications at the University of Baltimore. I am excited to be the liaison for Langsdale because it offers me an opportunity to gain experience in marketing and advertising. My hope is to be an effective advocate for Langsdale and make it a resource students want to use. I look forward to this rewarding challenge. 

- Mariama

From Anne of Green Gables to Twilight, Langsdale Staff write about books they read when they were young.

“I got my copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn when I was ten. It was given to me by an aunt who always treated me like an equal instead of child, so I took her selection with great gravitas. The first time I read it I fell in love with Francie as a child, when she spends hours reading books to escape the world around her. The book follows Francie and her family at many points in their lives, so each time I read the book I relate to different scenes –heartbreak, loss, change – depending on where I am in my own life.”

Natalie Burclaff
Reference and Instruction Librarian

The Green Knowe books by Lucy M. Boston

"When I was in school, I read books written by Lucy M. Boston and because of these books I now have a life-long interest in old houses and mysteries!
The series of six books deals with the fictional house, Green Knowe, which is based on the author’s real home in England, The Manor at Hemmingford Grey. The first two books, The Children of Green Knowe and The Treasure of Green Knowe, deal with a boy who stays with his Great-Grandmother, Mrs. Oldknow, at Green Knowe during school vacations. There he encounters the ghosts of children who lived in the house in previous centuries who help him solve mysteries.
In 2009 The Treasure of Green Knowe was made into a film starring Maggie Smith as Mrs. Oldknow. The film is entitled From Time To Time and here is the link to the movie trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19bYsqvlXp0
Though Lucy Boston has died, her son and his family still live in The Manor at Hemmingford Grey. The house is open for tours and there is a small gift shop. Here is the link: www.greenknowe.co.uk/
When Lucy Boston’s son was young, she often invited his cousins to visit. His cousins insist that once they encountered French speaking ghosts!
These Green Knowe books are available at the College Park, Towson, Salisbury, and Bowie Libraries of the University of Maryland System."
Ivy Patterson Owens (Cataloger, Langsdale Library’s Technical Services department)