"The role of the librarian as a facilitator, a teacher, and a guide is even more essential today in our age of information technology and internet access. One could say that the rest of society has joined in the work that librarians have been doing for a very long time, researching, gathering, organizing and sharing information." Susan Acampora Associate Professor Mother Irene Gill Library The College of New Rochelle

Ms. Acampora, what is your educational background?

 

How long have you been at The College of New Rochelle?

Sixteen years in total. I began my employment as an adjunct librarian in 1991. I have been a full time librarian at CNR since 1992.

What is your role here at CNR? 

As Systems Librarian, my role is to prepare, implement, maintain, and evaluate the Library's automated computer operations, and to manage their administrative modules. At present, I am responsible for "III" (Innovative Interfaces Inc.), our Integrated Library System; "Docutek ERes," our electronic reserves system; "EZ-Proxy", our database authentication system; "ILLiad," our inter-library loan system; and our general operations server. I also maintain the health and well-being of the library's computer equipment and electronic classroom, provide troubleshooting and support, and coordinate or perform systems repairs and upgrades as needed.

I  serve as Chairperson for the Library's "Automation of Library Services Committee" and the Library's "Web Committee", and I am the Library webmaster. Providing staff training is an important part of my work as well.  For each new system we implement, I teach professional development workshops and individualized staff tutorials.  I’ve mentored two assistant systems librarians for our branches libraries, and a library systems assistant. Also, I research new library systems, advise on long range planning, coordinate  special Library automation projects, and participate in programs in conjunction with various Library committees.

CNR offers a strong sense of community and collegiality; it is a warm, non-competitive, welcoming environment. Many of my colleagues at CNR, like myself, have said they “just felt at home” when they first visited the campus and wanted to stay…and fortunately did. Our faculty and staff are exceptionally dedicated and talented as well as being very accessible to students and to each other. There is a sense of caring, generosity and belonging one feels at The College of New Rochelle that makes this community a very appealing and effective place in which to work, study and grow.

Besides Gill Library, how are you involved in the College and the community?

Besides my work at Gill Library, I have taught the course “Library as a Research Tool” for CNR’s School of New Resources and have served on the College's Library Committee. I now serve on the College's Teaching, Learning and Technology Roundtable. Being an art student at CNR as well as a librarian, I am now the library liaison to the Graduate Studio Art Department which I am very excited about. 

In a larger sense of bridging community, last summer, I had the honor of representing the College at the American Library Association Convention in New Orleans. I was fortunate and privileged to be able to participate in ALA's “Libraries Build Communities” program, an outreach effort to assist in the rehabilitation and restoration of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  We worked at a local public library helping to clean out and restore their facility.

 Another project I am proud to be part of is maintaining a memorial book collection for a beloved alumna, Elizabeth G. Sullivan SAS ‘48. In 1989, Elizabeth’s sister, Nancy Sullivan Murray SAS ‘50 offered the College a grant for the establishment of a collection of research materials in her sister’s memory in the area where “ecology and feminism merge.”  “Ecofeminism” has evolved into a broad field of study encompassing diverse perspectives on the relationships among environmental studies, women’s history, nature, cultural studies and spirituality. With additional donations from many of the Sullivan/Murray family and friends, ongoing support from the College and Library, and strong interest among many CNR faculty members, the Elizabeth G. Sullivan Memorial Ecofeminism Collection continues to grow and provide a wide-ranging and thought-provoking selection of resources in the field. I hope to work more closely with interested faculty members in this area in the future. Interested researchers may learn more about the collection by visiting the Library website under Collections or go directly to
http://www.cnr.edu/home/library/ecointro.htm. 

 
What do you think makes CNR a special College?

CNR offers a strong sense of community and collegiality; it is a warm, non-competitive, welcoming environment. Many of my colleagues at CNR, like myself, have said they “just felt at home” when they first visited the campus and wanted to stay…and fortunately did. Our faculty and staff are exceptionally dedicated and talented as well as being very accessible to students and to each other. There is a sense of caring, generosity and belonging one feels at The College of New Rochelle that makes this community a very appealing and effective place in which to work, study and grow.  

 
What sort of student is successful at CNR?

Because CNR provides not only quality education but also a nurturing, compassionate environment, our community has the power to transform lives. The ideal CNR student is one who is ready to receive the unique qualities CNR has to offer.  One who is motivated by the desire to learn and embrace the beginning of a journey of lifelong learning within a diverse, talented, and caring community.

How has the role of a librarian changed with the development of the Internet?

The role of the librarian as a facilitator, a teacher, and a guide is even more essential today in our age of information technology and internet access. One could say that the rest of society has joined in the work that librarians have been doing for a very long time, researching, gathering, organizing and sharing information. The terrain is much broader and more complex to traverse than ever before and librarians remain at the heart of the research process. We continue to aid researchers in maneuvering through the vast wealth of data, selecting appropriate search aides, identifying valid research, interpreting results, and assimilating conceptual foundations of the research process.  Librarians also remain invaluable creators and navigators of what we often refer to as the "invisible web” (or those areas that are not immediately visible through search engines). 

In addition to traditional library work, new roles in librarianship have also evolved along with the internet. Librarians, like me, are now frequently employed in systems positions, or as electronic resources librarians who are responsible for managing growing online library collections. Others work as digitization librarians in archives and special collections adapting content into digital formats; as metadata librarians who catalog and organize online resources; as online database indexers, search engine developers, or as part of sales, training, support or development teams for integrated library systems companies.  I'm sure that as the Internet continues to evolve, the work of librarians will as continue to evolve as well.

Because of the Internet do you think students are learning in new ways?

Yes, I believe the Internet as well other advancements of our technological age have influenced learning styles. Today's students are exposed from a very young age to a wealth of information and a myriad of ever-evolving technological tools to manage it. They have grown up with video and online interactive computer gaming technology that encourages the development of strategic and analytic thinking, challenges them to assess and acquire information rapidly, and to assimilate and respond to it effectively. They are accustomed to working independently with a high degree of self-direction and to share and collaborate with each other in virtual communal environments. Hypertext links, spellcheckers, language translation programs, citation builders, etc. also make the learning experience an easier and more autonomous one. Surely, the lecture model of education no longer serves the needs of today’s student who seems better served by a model that provides guidance, encourages independence, interaction and collaboration.

 
Will the listserve and web replace books?

Certainly the listserv, web-blogs, wikis, and the infinitely evolving variations of technology and web-based communication will continue to grow, change, and transform our lives. There is no question that these technologies provide an unparalleled level of currency and inclusiveness. However, I see them all as a different form of the book, another vehicle in the sharing of knowledge, ideas and creativity, and the recording of human history. As for the physical book itself, I think technology will continue to supplement it, just as the book supplements technology. Pervasive printing of what we find online, and the purchase of software manuals seem to attest to this. 

Books, in my opinion, will always have a personal and intimate quality that cannot be replaced by computers. Manual arts such as sculpture and painting (and book arts) remain an intimate physical signature of the human record and have not been replaced by digital art.  Rather, each form responds to and enhances the other. At least I hope the book will remain with us, because, after a long day of working with technology, I would miss the tactile and simple pleasure of reading a book.

How has technology at the library evolved since the renovation of 2001?

The Library renovation of January 2001 provided an excellent foundation for future technological growth. Along with the establishment of the Library Systems Department and collaborative efforts among all librarians and staff, we have has been able to greatly enhance library services in our goal to support the academic mission of the College and to facilitate teaching, learning, and collaboration.

What new systems has the Library employed since the renovation?

One major project we recently completed is a migration from a consortia-based library system to our own independent ILS (Integrated Library System), called III Millennium. Our III (Innovative Interfaces, Inc) system now coordinates all Cataloging, Acquisitions and Periodicals services, and provides us with an autonomous Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) with lots of potential for growth and the addition of new features.

What new features does the library online public access catalog provide?

I see a link to Electronic Reserves on the Library hompage.  Is ERes another new automated library system?

Yes, ERes is also a new system that we completed last summer and is now accessible through all five library branches. Similar to Angel, ERes allows us to create faculty course pages to contain and coordinate course reserve readings.  Documents can be scanned in and retrieved via Adobe Acrobat Reader, or they can be made available as websites links, or as links to online full text documents within our subscription databases. ERes is also accessible online from any computer with internet access, anywhere, anytime without having to visit the library.

Can CNR researchers access, from off-campus, the wide variety of online subscription databases and full text resources that the Library now provides?

Is the Library working on any new projects?

ILLiad, the "Inter Library Loan Internet Accessible Database," is a system we are currently implementing. ILLiad will automate the interlibrary loan process allowing our researchers to order materials that are not available at Gill Library, track their orders, and receive electronic copies delivered directly to their desktops. Links to this service will be accessible throughout our website, our catalog, and our subscription databases to make the interlibrary loan process seamless and easy, as well as accessible from anywhere on or off campus.

What are some of the Library's future plans?

We are looking forward to a major re-design and integration of our library website to enable greater interactivity and self directed functionality.  A team of librarians has begun to work on the creation of interactive video presentations of library literacy classes, and we are developing a website section devoted to research assistance that will showcase a variety of help tools.  We have incorporated online forms such as the email service "Ask a Librarian," a "Make a Suggestion" form, and a “Suggest a Purchase” form.  Additional online forms are being added for submitting reserve materials, registering for library classes and signing up to use group study rooms.  And, as Web 2.0 continues to evolve and change the way we work and communicate with each other, the library continues to research and incorporate new features into our automated services.

Another important area the Library will focus on in the future is Electronic Resources. We have recently instituted an Electronic Resources Department to coordinate the growing demands of managing online databases.  Article Linker, a product that points researchers to other sites within and beyond the library where full text and related resources may be found has already been implemented.  Central Search, a service to be introduced soon, will bring together a list of all resources available through Gill Library in one easy search step. Central Search incorporates the Vivisimo’s Clustering Engine, that organizes results by categories providing a detailed and comprehensive list of alternative searches.  The library now also publicizes our holdings within Google. When students search from Google within the Library they are automatically routed to Gill Library's holdings first, among other web-resources. Many more exciting developments will be coming in the area of electronic resources in the future.

As we remain committed to enhancing library services through technology, visit our website newsletter for updates.

With all of the new features now available at the Library how would you describe the Library's role in enhancing the educational mission of CNR?

The Library renovation, the automation of our major library services, the creation of our Electronic Resources Department and, a commitment to the on-going enhancement of library services enable us to offer an effective physical and virtual space to support the goals of  learning, teaching, community and collaboration.

The Library remains an integral place where researchers can find and quickly access a growing wealth of print and online resources, communicate with library professionals, enjoy a welcoming environment, and do their research within or beyond the Library walls.