Barnard College Library: Drei spannende Projekte

Barnard College was founded in 1889 as a women's college affiliated with Columbia University – and it still is to this day. Famous women such as Suzanne Vega, Patricia Highsmith and Anna J. Schwartz earned their degrees here. When Columbia University began admitting women in 1983 (!), Barnard College chose not to integrate, but to remain an independent institution instead. Students from Columbia University may participate in lectures at Barnard College, but do not earn a degree from the school. Lisa Norberg, Dean of the Barnard Library and Academic Information Services, considers this to be a positive thing: The female students are much more self confident and have a number of female role models in the school's alumnae and professors.

Three things that I find particularly exciting at the library are:

1. The Personal Librarian Program
Lisa Norberg explains to me that each first-year student is assigned a personal librarian. This personal librarian is officially listed in the orientation materials like the advisor from the teaching faculty. This type of individual service impresses the students ("I've never had my own librarian before."), and a relationship develops over the course of a student's studies. The librarians know what the students are working on and which level they are at. In order for the program to be successful, it is essential that teaching faculty supports the program and reminds students to schedule an appointment with their librarian. This has succeeded at Barnard College.

2. Teaching the use of data and media production
Barnard College recently added an Empirical Reasoning Lab where Heather Van Volkinburg (Data Librarian) supports students in using statistics software and in calculating and handling data. She also assists faculty in identifying assignments involving data collection so that students will learn how to handle data.

Another relatively new area is Instructional Media and Technology Services (IMATS). Here Alexis Seeley and Miriam Neptune (Instructional Media Specialist) familiarize students and faculty with filming, film and photo editing, audio recordings, as well as how to create and use wikis and blogs. They accompany projects and film, for example, performing art classes in order to document their progress.

3. Assessment
The "Understanding Library Impacts protocol" developed by Derek Rodriguez is also interesting. In order to measure this impact, the college's learning objectives and the learning objectives formulated by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation are linked to library offerings. A survey conducted among students investigates which library offerings are needed to achieve the learning objectives. This assessment strategy is still in its early stages and has been conducted in the History department so far - but it shall be expanded.

For lunch Lisa Norberg takes me to a French restaurant on Broadway. She has a bit of insider information for me: Tom's Restaurant on the other side of the street is the restaurant that supposedly inspired Suzanne Vega's song Tom's Diner. Seinfeld was also filmed there.