Alabama Libraries 60(1) by ALLA Publications

Alabama Libraries Volume60 Issue1 Summer2022

EditorialBoardMembers.......................................................................................3 CallforArticles.......................................................................................................4 AMessagefromtheEditorinChief....................................................................5 Jessica E. Platt GuestEditorial........................................................................................................8 Laura Pitts AnEducator’sPerspective:HowPublicLibrariesEnhanceAccesstoOnline LearningforAllSocioeconomicBackgrounds...................................................11 Lacie Sutherland HaveMLISandPassport...WillTraveltheWorld..............................................21 Lisa Vardaman TableofContents Volume60 Issue1 Alabama Libraries AlabamaLibrariesJournal@gmail.com 2 https://www.allanet.org/alabamalibraries

Birmingham TimDodge,Editor Auburn

Alabama State University

University KathyWheeler University of South Alabama KellyMarieWilson Independent Researcher

EDITORIAL reviewedjournalpublishedbytheAlabamaLibrary

Jacksonville

M.DeloresCarlito,Editor

JessicaE.Platt,EditorinChief

BOARD Alabama Libraries isabiannual,openaccess,peer

University of Alabama at University

MichelleHamrick Irondale

Alabama at Birmingham LoriNorthrup Samford University LauraPitts Scottsboro Public Library

University of

JodiPoe State

Library JessicaHayes,Editor Auburn University Montgomery Alabama Libraries PeggyKain,Editor

Association. ISSN0002-4295 3

CharlotteE.Ford,Editor of Montevallo Public

University

reportfromTheInstituteofMuseumandLibraryServices,medianperperson spendingonphysicalmaterialsdecreasedby6%between2014and2018,while medianperpersonspendingonelectronicmaterialsincreasedby31percent.Of course,theCOVID19pandemichasonlyincreasedusageofonlineresources anddigitalmaterials.

Howcanlibrariessustainscholarlyeresourceswhen,accordingtoThe UniversityofMaryland,theinflationrateforjournalsandothersubscriptions rangesfrom4%to15%(orhigher)eachyear?

Libraries should increase usage of open access journals like Alabama Libraries. 5

A Message from the Editor-in-Chief

Itisneedlesstosaythatlibrariesareimportant.Theyarevitaltoscholars, families,students,andcommunities,offeringhelpfulresourcesandaspacein whichtousethem.So,whichresourcesdopatronsusemost?Accordingtothe StudentMoneySurvey2020,thesourcesofinformationmostcommonlyused bypatronsareacademicjournals,books,orresearchdatabases.Thesescholarly resourcesofferedbylibrariesareusedby88%ofuniversityfacultysurveyed, andby53%ofuniversitystudents.

Consideringthatthemosteffectiveinteractionswithlibraryresources typicallyoccuratthepointofneed,itisimportanttonotetherelevanceof librarians andofcredible,nonpredatoryjournals.Librarians’responsibilities rangefrompublicservice(suchasconductingreferenceworkinsidelibraries andonline)toinformationliteracy(suchastherecommendationof authoritativejournals).Overthelasttwentyyears,digitallibrarianshiphas grownexponentiallyandelectronicjournalshavebecomecommonplace and evenpreferable fortheirconvenienceandeaseofuse.Accordingtoa2021

OAjournalsareoftenaccessibleduetoindexing.Onceajournalis indexedbyadatabase,itisimmediatelymadeavailabletoallusersofthat database.Ifajournalisindexedinaknowndatabaseinafield,itcanbefound easily,whichincreasesreadership.Journalindexingisbasedonpublishing standardsandindicatesajournal’squality,asindexedjournalsareconsidered tobemoreauthoritativeresourcesthanjournalsthatarenotindexed.Indexed journalstendtoreceivemorerecognitionamongprofessionalswithinafield, andthislevelofrespectcanleadtoadditionalpaperssubmittedfor publication.So,thesuccessofajournalcandependontheperceptionof professionals,whichoftendependsonthepaperssubmitted andthe submissionofhigherqualitypapersoftendependsonajournal’sindexation. It’sacyclethatcanmakeorbreakapublication.

Alljournalsseekingtobeindexedshouldmeetcertainstandardsand indexingrequirements.Forexample,theyshouldhaveanInternational StandardSerialNumber(ISSN),acopyrightpolicy,anestablishedpublishing schedule,basicarticle-levelmetadata,andforopenaccessjournals--Digital ObjectIdentifiers(DOIs).Additionally,aCreativeCommonlicenseisusually needed.Fortunately,CreativeCommonsoffersitslicenses,code,andtoolsto thepublicfreeofcharge.Inrecentyears,ithasbecomemorecommontosee successfulopenaccessjournalsinawidevarietyoffields.Openaccessjournals thathavebeenindexedhavethevisibility,recognition,anddiscoverability thathasbeenearnedbymanyprintjournals.

Alabama Libraries isincreasinginpopularityandstaturebecauseof readers,writers,andresearcherslikeyou.Ithascomealongwaysinceits inception:Afterbecominganopenaccessjournal,twoissuesofvolume59 werepublishedlastyear,andyouarenowreadingthefirstissueofvolume60. Thejournal’stitleandcoverhavebeenupdatedbytheEditorialBoard,and wehaveappliedforanewISSN.I’mlookingforwardtoseeingwhatthe futureholdsforALLA’sjournalanditismyhopethatthispublicationcanbe indexedbyDOAJinthenearfuture.PleasecontinuetoreadAlabama Libraries,toshareitwithothers,andtohelpsupportthispublicationby submittinginterestingresearch.

Brown,L.(2020,September9).Studentmoneysurvey2020:Results.Savethe Student.https://www.savethestudent.org/money/studentmoneysurvey 2020.html

Chawla,D.S.(2021).Thefutureoflibrarianship.TheNatureIndex. https://www.nature.com/nature-index/news-blog/the-future-of librarianship

JessicaE.Platt,EditorinChief Alabama Libraries

References

LeanLibrary.(2021).Librarianfutures:Chartinglibrarian-patronbehaviorsand relationshipsinthenetworkeddigitalage. https://www.leanlibrary.com/community/librarianfuturesreport/ UniversityofMaryland.(2021).Serialsreview. https://lib.guides.umd.edu/serialsreview

EducationDoctoralLibrarian AlabamaStateUniversity jplatt@alasu.edu

DirectoryofOpenAccessJournals.(2022).Guidetoapplying. https://doaj.org/apply/guide/ InstituteofMuseumandLibraryServices.(2021).Theuseandcostofpublic librarymaterials:TrendsbeforetheCOVID19pandemic.Washington, DC:TheInstitute.https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/2021 02/plsfy18researchbrief.pdf

Public Libraries: A Key Point of Access During Times of Need Guest Editorial

InAlabama,publiclibrariesareacrucialresourceforthecommunitiesthey serve.Overthepastnineyearsofworkingasapubliclibrarydirectorinarural Alabamacommunity,Ihavebeenabletoseethe“crucialresource”sideof publiclibrariesinfullaction.Myexperiencesarethesameasmanyofmy Alabamapubliclibrarycolleagues,aswehaveallbeenwitnesstotheimpact librarieshavemadetothepeoplethatusethemandthecommunitiesinwhich theycontributeresourcesandmore.

Thereisnodenyingthatthecurrenttimesforeverysinglepersonin Americaarequitesimilar.Wearealldealingwithourownpathwayoutofa pandemicandhurdlingourselvesforwardintowhatevernewnormalcanbe embraced.Choicestobuygroceriesorfillupcarswithfuelarestruggles everyoneisexperiencing nomatterthesocioeconomicbackground.Allofus arefeelingthepressureoflifepushdownonourdailyactivitiesoftravel, vacation,andsimpleenjoyment.Then,somewhereinthemidstofthisare publiclibraries,whichhave,insomestrangeway,theabilitytoprovideabitof reliefsimplyintheresourcestheyprovide.

Eveninatimewhenthereislimitedmoneytodosimplethings,apublic librarycomesintosavetheday.Publiclibrariesofferaccesstobothprintand electronicresourcesinavarietyofways.Therehasalwaysbeensome speculationthatlibrarieswillonedaynotneedprintmaterials-butIdon’tsee thisasthecase.Thereisstillsomethingmagicalaboutwalkingintoapublic library,pullingoffabookyouhavebeenlookingforandcheckingitoutto read.Oldergenerationsoffolkswhogrewupusinglibrariesstillfrequentlyvisit them,takingpartinprogramsandmorethatmaybeoffered.Forchildrenand teens,thereisasenseofrenewedenergywhenapubliclibrarianprovidesthem withacrisp,newlibrarycard,whichsignalstheirentranceintoasortof“secret

Electronicresourceshaveskyrocketedinthelastthreeyears.TheCOVID 19pandemicnotonlyforcedeveryoneintoaseasonofsolitude,sotospeak,but itforcedpeopleintoarealitythatthewaylifeoncewaswouldnotalways remainthesame.Thus,therehasbeenagravitationalpulltowardusing electronicbookresources,eitherintheformofserviceslikeHoopla,Overdrive, orKindleBooks todatabaseresourcesthatcouldassistwithjobsearchesor currentworkneeds,orwiththeeducationalneedsofstudents,teachers,parents, grandparents,orguardians.

Itisimportantthatcommunities,libraryusers,staff,community stakeholders,cityofficials,andmoreunderstandthatlibrariesareeverchanging. Thereisafluiditytopubliclibrariesandthepubliclibrariesthatgetitarewilling totakealeapoffaithtoofferdifferentservices.Nontraditionalisagoodword touseinthisinstance,asthedevelopmentof“librariesofthings”hasprovidedan opportunityforneatitemstoexperienceatalibrary.Whetherit’saboardgame, acakepan,aSTEMlearningkit,orevenapowertool,publiclibrariesare figuringouthowtoreachpeoplewithmorethanjustabook. 9

club”experience,whereaccessisabookormorethatdoesnothavetobepaid forunlessitislostordamaged.

TheAlabamaPublicLibraryServicehasworkedhardtocompilealistof resourcesthatstemfromcodingbasicstoservicesfortheblindtoresources aboutNASA.ChiltonLibraryResourcesprovideelectronicaccesstoautomotive repairmanualsandHomeworkAlabama,aresourcetohelpchildrenandteens withafterschooleducationalneeds.Anothergreatresourcehasbeenthe AncestryLibrary,providingaccesstogenealogicalrecords.Andguesswhat?For themassofpatronsholdinglibrarycardstopubliclibrariesthroughoutAlabama, resourcesliketheseandmoreareavailable.Let’salsonotforgetthatThe AlabamaVirtualLibraryhascontinuedtoprovideallagesandalleducational needswithdatabasesandresourcesoflifelonglearning.Theseresourcesand morecontinuetobeinvaluabletousersacrossthisstate.

LauraPitts

Ioftenthinkofhowgreatitistohavealibrarycard.See,alibrarycard doesn’tseethroughtoaperson’srace,genderorethnicity.Itdoesn’tcarewhat sideofthevotingspectrumapersonprefers.Alibrarycarddoesn’tworryabout whatsocioeconomicbackgrounditsuserhas.Itisjustheretohelpbyproviding resourcesinawaythatnoothertypeofinstitutioncan.Allofthis,andmore,is madepossiblebecausepubliclibrariesexisttomeetaneedincommunitiesthat otherentitiescannot.

Director,ScottsboroPublicLibrary

laurap@scottsboro.org

PresidentoftheAlabamaLibraryAssociation(20212022)

Keywords: onlineresources,homeworkassistanceandtutoring,publiclibraries, digitalagelearning,socioeconomicbackgrounds

lsutherland.appl@gmail.com

Abstract

ByLacieSutherland CirculationAdministrator AutaugaPrattvillePublicLibrary

Studentsofvarioussocioeconomicbackgrounds,butthosefromalower backgroundinparticular,dependonthefreeandreadilyavailableresourcesthat apubliclibraryprovides.Nowthatwearelivinginthedigitalageoflearning andinteracting,utilizingallthatapubliclibraryprovidesforteachers,students, andpatronsismoreimportantthanever.Thiscasestudyofthreefreee resourcescreatedforpubliclibrarieshighlightsmypersonalexperienceusing saidresourceswiththeAutaugaPrattvillePublicLibrary(APPL)andadditional employmentasaneducatorandlibrarytechnician.Thesedifferentsites, TransparentLanguageOnline,LearningExpress,andHomeworkAlabamanot onlyprovideonlineclassesforvarioussubjectlearningbutalsoofferonline tutoringandhomeworkassistanceforstudentsandeducatorswhodependon electronicresourcesforequitableaccessibility.Furthermore,thisarticlewillnot onlycontaincomprehensiveexplanationsoftheeresourcesprovidedbythe participantinthiscasestudybutwillalsodiscussanobservationontherolein whichpubliclibrariesprovideeasilyaccessibleresourcesforpatronsofvarious socioeconomicbackgroundsduringthedigitalageoflearning.

An Educator’s Perspective: How Public Libraries Enhance Access to Online Learning for All Socioeconomic Backgrounds

ThevastmajorityoftheuserswhopatronizeAPPLarefamilieswithchild renofvariousagesbutsecondinfrequencywouldbeelderlyindividualsfol lowedbysingleadultswithoutchildren.Additionally,sinceAutaugaCounty bordersthecapitalofthestate,Montgomery,APPLattractsmanymilitaryfam ilies,bothdomesticallyandfromabroad.Thetwomostcommonlyspokenfor eignlanguagesofAPPLpatronsareSpanishandKorean.However,families, mostlymilitary,whosefirstlanguageisDutch,Estonian,orMandarinalsofre quentAPPL.Also,AutaugaCountyreceivesfamiliesandindividualswholivein nearbyElmoreCounty,aruralareathatcontainsonlytwosmallpubliclibraries, locatedwithinMillbrookandWetumpka.

WhenCOVID19surprisedtheworldinMarchof2020,schoolsandlibrar

Crossing the Digital Divide

TheAutaugaPrattvillePublicLibrary(APPL)isasemiruralpubliclibrary systemlocatedinAutaugaCounty,Alabama.Themainbranchislocatedinthe “capital”ofthecounty,whichisPrattville.Itssub-branchesarelocatedin Billingsley,Marbury,andAutaugaville,allthreeofwhicharetownsthatservice themostlyruralareasofthecountyoutsideofPrattville.Asanexampleofits impactonthelocalcommunity,in2021,APPL’sBibstatsrecordedover39,000 patronvisits,33,065websitevisits,and1,413newmembers.Thosenumbersare onlygoingtoincreaseexponentiallyoncethedatafor2022ispublished (McClendon,2021YearinReview).AccordingtoUnitedStatesCensus Records: With55,639people,AutaugaCountyisthe24thmostpopulatedcountyin thestateofAlabamaoutof67counties.ThelargestAutaugaCountyracial/ ethnicgroupsareWhite(74.0%)followedbyBlack(19.5%)andHispanic (2.9%).In2020,themedianhouseholdincomeofAutaugaCountyhouse holdswas$57,982.However,12.7%ofAutaugaCountyfamilieslivein poverty.ThemedianageforAutaugaCountyresidentsis38.6yearsyoung (UnitedStatesCensusBureau,2022).

A Breakdown of the Participant: Autauga Prattville Public Library

arieswereforcedtoconverttheirclassesandpatronservicestoanonlineonly formatusingvariouscontact-freestrategies.Almostallclassesaroundtheworld wereadministeredviasomeformofonlinevideocallsites,includingstudents whoutilizetutoring,homeworkhelp,orwritinglabs.Sincemoststudentswere nolongerallowedtoenterphysicalbuildingsinordertoaccesstheselearning resources,publiclibrariessteppeduptobatforthosestudents.Despitethesocial restrictions,COVID-19becamethecatalystforpubliclibrarieslikeAPPLto fighttoremainrelevantwithintheircommunitybyexpandingaccessonlinefor booksandotherresources,throughsiteslikeLibbyandHooplaforstarters.

Inretrospect,whenCOVID19forcedAPPLtocloseindooraccess,two suitablesolutionstostillputbooksinthehandsofpatronsweretoprovide curbsideassistanceandonlineapplicationsfornewpatroncards.However, manypatronswerenotawarethat,alongwiththatcard,theyalsohadaccess toanappandmanydifferentonlinesitesforfreethatwouldmeetalloftheir needsforreading,learning,tutoring,andmedia.Nowthatthelibraryhasbeen fullyoperationalforoverayear,manychangeshaveoccurred.Thispointwas emphasizedintheearlyfallof2021andagaininearlysummerofthisyearwhen thechildren’slibrarianvisitedlocalschoolsinthePrattvilleareatopromotenot onlythelibraryanditsmanyprogramsbutalsohowthestudentsandtheir familiescanutilizethee-resourcesforhomeworkassistanceonthewebsite. Curbsideservicesandonlineapplicationsarestillprovided,butitisnow requiredprotocolthatwhenapatronreceivestheirnewcardorhastheircurrent oneupdated,theywillalsoreceivewalletsizedliteraturedetailinghowtoaccess theiraccountsviaanapp(calledLibrista),howtowatchmoviesandlistento 13

Furthermore,thisfactwasmirroredinthe

2020 Public Library Technology Survey collectedbytheAmericanLibraryAssociation(ALA),detailedontheirNews site,whichillustratedthisfact: Surveydata,capturedforthefirsttime,showmorethanhalfofpublic librariesreportcirculatingtechnology(e.g.,hotspots,laptops,andtablets) forpatronuseoffsite.Asimilarpercentageprovidedstreamingpublic programs(e.g.,storytimesandauthorevents)intheprevious12months,as wellasdiversedigitalcontent,resources,andtraining(AmericanLibrary Association,2022).

Subsequently,whileallofthesespokenandpaperprotocolswereexpanding, thelibrary’sofficialwebsitereceivedaproverbialtouchupaswell.Buttonsand QRcodesforWi-Fiprintingweredeveloped,aswellasprovidinghotspotsand launchpads,andlinkstotheeducationaleresourcesweremovedunderthe"On lineResources”tab,locatedinauserfriendlypositionfrontandcenteronthe website.Thesemodificationsmultipliedtheonlinelearningtoolsoffered,not onlysothattheaveragepatroncouldaccessthemattheirleisurebutalsosothat teachersandstudentscouldstillmaintaintheirprofessionsoreducationuninterrupted.ExamplesoftheseeducationaleresourcesincludeLearningExpress, TransparentLanguageOnline,andHomeworkAlabama.Becausewelivedur ingadigitalagewhereaccesstoonlineresourcesanddigitalliteracyeducationis criticalforthemoderncurriculum,havingfreeaccesstoonlinelearning resourcesatpubliclibrariessothatstudentsandpatronscanutilizeitfortutoring andhomeworkassistanceisvitalforstudentsofallsocioeconomicbackgrounds.

audiobooks(amongstLibbyandHoopla’sotherresources),andhowtotake classesinoveronehundredlanguages.Thisisallontopofanupdatedbrochure listingtheservices,accountinformation,andeducationaleresourcesavailableon thewebsite.

Havingaccesstoonline,freeresourcesandwebsitestofurtherone’scareer oreducationiseasiernowmorethanever.Publiclibrariesandthestaffthatrun themhaveavailedthemselvesaspublicservantsforthecommunityinwhichthey areintegrated.Themainobjectivehasalwaysbeentopromoteliteracy,provide amyriadofnecessarymaterialsavailablefortemporaryuse,butoveralltoput booksintothehandsofreaders.Withtechnologyadvancingsoquickly,digital literacyhasbecomeasvitalanecessityfortheaveragecitizenastraditionalliteracyitself,andtherealityofdisparitiesinequityamongstbackgroundknow ledgeandfinancialmeanshasbecometransparent.Toputitintoperspective,a studentoftoday’sunderstandingofdigitalliteracymusthave“theabilitytouse informationandcommunicationtechnologiestofind,evaluate,andcom municate[digital]information,requiringbothcognitiveandtechnicalskills” (ALALiteracyClearinghouse,2022).AccordingtoLindaBraun,pastpresident

Digital Literacy Relevance

Toillustratethis,thefirstofferingonthelistofeducationaleresources encouragedforthepatronsofAPPLisLearningExpress.Thisisacomprehensive,interactivelearningprogramofpracticetestsandtutorialexamsthat requiresnothingmorethansettingupanaccounteitherviatheuser’slibrary cardnumberoraproductkey.Thiswebsiteprovideslearningmaterialsona myriadoftopicsincludingcareerpreparation,highschoolequivalency,college admissionstestpreparation,grades48educationresources,highschooland collegeskillbuildingresources,adultcoreskills,orlessonsfornativeSpanish speakers(EBSCOLearningExpress,2022).Althoughfreetothepatronsof APPL,LearningExpressdoesrequireapaidsubscription,whichthelibraryitself paysforusingfundsfromtheannualbudget.Obviously,foreveryagelevel,this sitetargetsspecificeducationalneedsthatastudentcanaccessdirectlyfromtheir locallibrarywebsiteatanytime.Oncethepatronhassetuptheirownpassword andlogininformation,LearningExpresswillsavetheworkandhelpmonitor progress(EBSCOLearningExpress,2022).Thisresourceissimilartoresources likeKhanAcademy,awebsitethatoffersfree,lecturetype,educationalvideos. 15

ofALA’sYoungAdultLibraryServicesAssociation,librariesthemselves,how ever,shouldkeepinmindthat“Staffersmustconnectwiththepublictouncover communityassetsandservicegapsbeforedevelopingoradvertisingresources” (Braun,2022).Now,morethanever,allofthisisobviousforstudentsoftoday’s curriculumversusoldergenerationswhoseeducationalrequirementshardly exposedthemtotheneedforknowledgeoftechnology.Publiclibrarieswerethe bootsontheground(orcyberspace)forpatronsstrugglingduetothose disparitiesindigitalliteracyandWi-Fiaccess.Inordertoexpressthisconcept further,HeidiDanielandMichaelFriedoftheEnochPrattFreeLibraryexplain: Termslike‘digitalinclusion’feelinsufficienttodescribetherealityforso manyofourresidents.Wearelivingthroughthepandemicofthe disconnected.Wecanseeapathforward,onethatbuildsonourlegacyofa communitycenterandsupportsystemandupliftsthebestofwhatisaround ustoformacoalitionofprogress.Wemustreplacesystemicdisparitywith institutionalizedequity(Daniel&Fried,2022).

Learning Express

Futhermore,LearningExpressprovidesstepbystep,librarianrecommended educationalvideosandexercises.

Additionally,APPLincludesintheannualfiscalbudgetacomprehensive subscriptionforanovelsitecalledTransparentLanguagesOnline(TLO).Many patronsoftheAutaugaPrattvillePublicLibraryarenotnativeEnglishspeakers. Somebooksinotherlanguages,includingoneinBraille,areavailableforpa trons,butthechoicesareoverwhelminglylimited.Thisistobeexpectedina semiruralenvironment.Forthosepatronswhovisitthelibraryatall,itisclear forstafftoseethatthosepatronsstilllearningEnglishappreciatehavingafree websiteavailablethatwillhelpthemdevelopthoseskillsontheirownwithout havingtopayfortutorsoranysubscriptionsandpremiumswithinmorecom monlyusedapplications.TheadvancementoftheseskillsinEnglishcanhelp thesepatrons,whoaremostoftenadults,withemploymentoracademicoppor tunitiesintheirpersonallives.

Thiswebsiteissufficientforuserswhocannotaffordprivatetutoringor supplementalclasses.Italsoprovidesusersofallsocioeconomicbackgrounds accesstoequitableonlinelearningenvironmentsbyassistingthosestudentswho wishtoprogressthroughthelessonsonthissiteattheirownpacewithlittleto nooutsidepressure.

Althoughdesignedforstudentsofanyage,themainaudienceforLearning Expressisadultstudents,afactthatmirrorsAPPL’smostlyadultstudentsand educatorsusingthee-resource.Manymoretabsonthehomepagearegeared towardshighschoolstudents,collegestudents,adultsfurtheringtheirpost secondaryeducation,andelementaryteachersthanthosegearedtowards youngerlearners.EmployeesofAPPLhavebeenknowntoguideelderly patronswhorequestinformationonadultcomputerclassestothetabtitled “ComputerSkillsCenter”.Unfortunately,itwouldseemthatAPPLhasmuch worktodo;despitetheavailabilityonthelibrarywebsiteandencouragement fromstaff,accordingtogeneraldataretrievalprovidedbytheAlabamaPublic LibrarySystem,barelysevenhundredusers,onaverage,readilyaccessedthiseresourcein2021(InstituteofMuseumsandLibraryServices,2022).

Transparent Languages Online

Homework Alabama Thirdly,anothereresourceofferedbyAPPLiscalledHomeworkAlabama, afreeservicethatprovideshomeworkhelpfromsubjectspecialistsavailablefrom SundaythroughThursdayduringafter-schoolhours.Theagerangeforstudents isanywherefromKindergartenMathandSocialStudiestocollegeintroduction coursesandonlinejobsearchingassistanceforadults.AccordingtotheHomeworkAlabamawebsite,“HomeworkAlabamacanbeaccessedfromvirtuallyany 17

SimilarlytoLearningExpress,theonlyrequirementforuseisforthepatron tocreatetheirownlogininformationandprovidealibrarycardnumber.Also similarly,thesiteprovidesinteractive,comprehensivetutorials,supplemental vocabularyandgrammarcourses,andvideolessonsinover120languages. Patronspracticechallenginggamesandlessonsthattargetallfourcomprehensive skillsrequiredformasteringalanguage(listening,reading,speaking,and writing)(TransparentLanguageInc.,2022).Availableforanyage,itsenhanced compatibilityisoptimizedfortouchscreenuseoniPadsandAndroidtablets,or anylaptopsorcomputers(TransparentLanguagesOnline:About2022).During themonthofOctober2021,APPLencouragedpatronstosignupforTLOand practicealanguageforfifteenminutesadayforoneweekinordertohavetheir namesenteredintoanAmazongiftcardrafflesponsoredbyTLOitself. Althoughnotalargenumberofpatronsparticipatedduringthatweek,216 registerswerereportedforallactivitysessionssincethenwith307circulations (TLOxp,2022);thishasalsoencouragedpatronstoutilizesupplemental languagelearningbooksfromthelibrary,apps,orclassesofferedwithinthelocal communityinordertocontinuetheirpersonallearningendeavors.

TransparentLanguagesOnlineisentirelyfreewhentheaccountissynced withapubliclibrarycard.Frompersonalexperience,Ihighlyrecommendthis sitebecause,asaSpanish-as-a-Second-Languagespeaker,thereisatabwithfour specializedlessonstitled“SurvivalSpanishforLibrarians”.Despitesimilaritiesto siteslikeDuolingoandIXL.com,APPLplanstocontinueparticipationfor weeksinthefutureinordertoencourageallpatrons,butEnglishLanguage Learnersinparticular,tocontinueutilizingthisincredibleeresourcefortheir ownpersonaleducationaljourneytowardsasecondlanguageproficiency.

Studentsfromlowersocioeconomicbackgroundswhosefamilieslackthe financialresourcestopayforprivatetutoringcansupplementtheirchildren’s struggleswithhomeworkwiththissiteinawaythatencouragesthestudentto learninsteadofsearchingfortheanswersonline.Thoughafamilywithinthe stateofAlabamahasaseeminglyendlessnumberofoptionstouseiftheirchild renareinneedofhomeworkassistance,HomeworkAlabamaisalreadyafree onlinewebsitesanctionedbythestateandpubliclibraryservicesandavailablefor athomeuseorwhileatschool,oratalocalpubliclibrary.

computerormobiledevicewithinternetconnectionwhileinthestateofAla bama.Ifyoudonothaveinternetaccessathome,pleasevisityourlocalpublic librarytogetonline”(AlabamaPublicLibraryService,2019).Allthatisrequired, onceagain,isalibrarycardnumberfromapubliclibrarywithinAlabama.The downsidewiththisresourceisthatitdoesalsorequireemailingthelibrarysupportadministratorsifloggingonforthefirsttimeisnotautomaticallysuccessful. Asstatedonthehomepageofthesite,“BecausetheHomeworkAlabama.org programusesGeoIPlocationasitsprimaryauthenticationmethod,onceina while,especiallyifusingacellularinternetconnection,youmayreceiveanIP addresserrorwhentryingtoaccesstheservice”(AlabamaPublicLibraryService, 2019).

Asorganizedunderthe“OnlineResources”tabofAPPL’swebsite,Home workAlabamacanalsobefoundonanypubliclibrarywebsitewithinthestate andisdedicatedtoallagesinneedofspecifictestpreporhomeworkassistance. Livetutors,viathecompanyTutor.com,areavailableonlineduringtheir scheduledhours,whichwasanotherresourceavailabletostudentswhen COVID19forcedallschoolstoconverttovirtuallearning.Additionally,thissite issimilartoTutorme.com,sinceittoooffersstudentstheabilitytomeetwitha livetutorforhomeworkassistanceorhoursofstudy.Aslongasthestudentisnot requestinghelpwithaquizortest,Tutorme.comdoesallowlivetutorsallover theworldtomeetvirtuallywithastudent,aslongasthecorrectpluginsare downloaded,aswellaschatinstantaneouslywithadministratorsonachatsidebar.However,likeIXL.comandDuolingo,thissiteisnotentirelyfreeand chargesthestudentsatpersonalexpense.AsforHomeworkAlabama,public librarianscanfaithfullyrecommendthisfreesitetopatronsandstudentsdueto

Thiscasestudyandanalysishighlightstheimportanteffectpubliclibraries canhaveonmoderneducation.Byprovidingonlinelearningtools,they improveusers’accesstoresourcesthatcanhelpfurtherone’seducation.When studentsandeducatorsutilizethesefreeeresources,itonlyfurtherprovesthe necessaryrolethatpubliclibrariesplayintheirlocalcommunities.Thefacthas becomeevenmoreapparentsinceCOVID19disruptededucationalprogressfor manyschoolsystems,promptingAPPLtopromoteatschoolsandthe communityatlargeforinformationonhowuserscouldutilizeallthattheir publiclibraryhastooffer,whetherinpersonoronline.Theeresources mentionedspecificallyareallreadilyavailableonAPPL’swebsiteand,asan educator,haveprovenusefultomeaswellastootherstudentsandeducators whodependonaccesstofree,onlineresourcesduringthisdigitalageof learning.Theabilitytoaccesslocalpubliclibrariesandutilizetheirresourcescan bridgethisinequity.AutaugaPrattvillePublicLibraryisonesuchlibrarythatis bridgingthatgapforAlabama’sstudents.

Conclusion

thesealandlogosatthebottomofthepagethatprovelegitimacy:theGreatSeal ofAlabama,TheInstituteofMuseumsandLibraryServices,andAlabamaPublic LibraryService(APLS).

References AlabamaPublicLibraryService.(2019).HomeworkAlabama.org. https://aplsws2.apls.state.al.us/homework/ ALALiteracyClearinghouse.(2022).Digitalliteracy.AmericanLibrary Association.https://bit.ly/3OLYs9O

UnitedStatesCensusBureau.2020Americancommunitysurvey:5-Year estimates.U.S.CensusBureau:AmericanCommunitySurveyOffice. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/autaugacountyalabama

AmericanLibraryAssociation.(2021).Nationalsurveyfindslibrariesplay expandedroleindigitalequity,bridginggapsinaccesstotechnology. http://www.ala.org/news/pressreleases/2021/08/nationalsurveyfinds librariesplayexpandedroledigitalequitybridging Autauga-PrattvillePublicLibrary.(2022).LearningExpressLibrary:Whatis LearningExpressLibrary? https://www.appl.info/Pages/Index/214624/learningexpress Autauga-PrattvillePublicLibrary.(2022).Summaryreport:Transparent LanguagesOnlineadministrationconsole.Prattville,AL. Braun,L.W.(2022).Achievingrelevance:CodesignedservicesBoostimpactof ourwork. American Libraries, 53(5),48. CubitPlanning,Inc.(2022).Autaugacountydemographicssummary. https://bit.ly/3HVcVxE Daniel,H.&Fried,M.(2022).Digitalequity:BeyondtheCOVID19response. Public Libraries, 61(2),2127. EBSCOLearningExpress/Autauga-PrattvillePublicLibrary.(2022).Welcome toLearningExpressLibrary.https://bit.ly/39ZPrLh InstituteofMuseumandLibraryServices.(2022).Publiclibrariessurvey:Fiscal year2021.https://www.imls.gov/researchevaluation/data collection/publiclibrariessurvey

McClendon,C.(2021).(rep.).2021yearinreview.Prattville,AL. TransparentLanguage,Inc./AutaugaPrattvillePublicLibrary.(2022). TransparentLanguageOnline:About. https://library.transparent.com/applal/game/ng/#/about TLOxp.(2022).K12languagesolutions. https://www.transparent.com/education/k12languagesolutions.html Tutor.com/PrincetonReview.(2019).HomeworkAlabama.org. https://aplsws2.apls.state.al.us//homework/

Have MLIS and Passport....Will Travel the World ALLA SPOTLIGHT

IdidnotsetouttogetmyMastersofScienceInformationandLibrarySci encetotraveltheworld,butthatiswhatendeduphappening.Ibeganmywork ingcareerasasecond-gradeteacher.ThatiswhatIhadalwayswantedtobe sinceIwasinsecondgrade.MymotherstillsaysthatIreallyjustwantedtobe BeckyBannon,mysecondgradeteacher.Withherbeingsixfeettall,withan ever-presentsmileandanunderstandingofwhateachdifferentchildneeded,she wasthebest!Withthatplaninmymind,Iwenttocollegeandonedayshyof fouryearslater,IgraduatedwithmyEarlyChildhoodteachingdegree(Early ChildhoodbecauseIdidn’twantthekidstobetallerthanme).Ifollowedthatup withamaster’sdegreeinEarlyChildhoodEducation,butIfeltsomethingwas missing…therewassomethingelsethatIwantedtodo.Lookingaroundmy classroomIcouldnotseemyselfthereforthenext2530years.Intalkingwith theschool’sMediaSpecialistoneafternoonshesuggestedthatIgobackandget myMediaSpecialistdegree.InthinkingaboutthatIalsoknewthatIwantedto gotoTheUniversityofAlabama.So,aftercarefulconsiderationandplanningI quitmysecond-gradeteachingjob,gotaKindergartenteachingjob,appliedto TheUniversityofAlabama’sMasterofLibraryandInformationStudiesprogram, andmovedtoTuscaloosa.Iendedupfinishingmydegreeandteachingcareerin one-and-a-halfyears.IgraduatedinDecemberandaseverybodyknows,there arenoorveryfewjobsineducationavailableinthatparticularmonth.Iended upapplyingfortheEducationReferencejobatanotheruniversityinthestate. OnceIdidthat,IstartedtousemyMLISdegreetotraveltheworld.

WithmynewMLISdegreeandoldpassportcomingtogether,itcreateda wayformetotraveltheworldwhileworking,attendingworkshopsand fellowships,andpresentingatdifferentconferences.Mostofthesetravel adventurescameaboutfromworkingatanacademiclibrary,butmanyofthe optionsareavailabletoalltypesoflibrarians.ThisideaofusingyoutMLIS degreetohelpyoutraveltheworldisnotreallywellknownorthoughtabout. 21

Ifirststartedbyattendingthestateconferencesnotonlyinmystatebutin surroundingstates.Thiswas andis agreatintroductiontothewayconfer enceswork,anditalsohelpstointroduceyoutopeoplethatareinthesamefield inthesurroundingareas.Withmostnichecareerareassuchaslibrarianship,the fieldofpeopleinitissmall.So,itbefitsyouprofessionallytonetworkwiththese people.Italsohelpsshowyouwhatisgoingoninotherlibrariesinthearea.I cannottellyouhowmanyideasandnewprogramsthatIhavelearnedaboutor havehadasaresultofattendingtheseconferences.Thisisalsoagreatwayto buildyourvita,especiallyifyouareinatenuretrackfacultyposition.Youhave tostartthinkingaboutthatthreeyearreviewandfiveyearevaluationfromDay One.Youcannotwaituntilthoselasttwoyearsandtryapplyingtoabunchof thingsatonce.Thatleadsmetoanotherpoint.Youarenotgoingtogetevery conferencepresentationtowhichyouapply.Youarenotgoingtobeapproved foreveryworkshopthatyouwanttoattend.Iwasnot,butIworkedwithmy deanandeithergotprofessionaldevelopmentdaystoattendwithmefootingthe bill,orItookasmalleramountofreimbursementwhilecoveringtherestofthe trip.Youhavetojustkeeptryingtoseehowyoucanmakeitwork. Aswithmosttravelthesedays,youhavetoprovethatyouwillgain somethingfromattendingtheconferencethatyoucanthenbringbacktoyour librarytouse,orthatyouwillbepresentingsomethingtopromoteyourlibrary researchorprogramsattheconference.Agoodwaytobeginwithpresentations iswithpostersessions.Theseareusuallyone totwohoursessionswherethe presenterstandsinfrontofapostertalkingaboutaprojectorresearchthatthey haveconducted.Duringthistime,peoplewillwalkthroughtheareaandask questionsabouttheproject/researchthatyouarepresenting.AfterthatIstarted workingonpresentingatregionalandnationalconferenceswhilestilldoing postersessionsbutthenbranchingouttoroundtablediscussions,panel discussions,andlunch-talkdiscussions.IncomingupwithdifferenttopicsI wouldlookattheconferenceproposalinformationanddecideifanyofthe

Thatideaisoneofmanythingsthattheydon’tteachyouaboutthelibraryin school.

Conferences and Workshops

Semester at Sea

Ofallmydifferenttravelexperiencesassociatedwithjobsasalibrarian,this istheonethatIfoundreallysharpenedandhonedmyreferencelibrarianexper 23

InFebruaryof2008,Ihadworkedatmyacademiclibraryforfiveyears whenIappliedforthejobofAssistantLibrarianonboardtheSemesteratSea program.Thisisaprogramthatallowscollegeagedstudentstocomeonboarda cruiseshipthatisownedbytheInstituteforShipboardEducationandtake collegeclasseswhilesailingaroundtheworld.TheInstituteforShipboard Educationpartneredwithauniversitytoprovidetheacademicclassesand academicsupportstafftoruntheprogram.TheHeadLibrariancamefromthe universityitpartneredwithatthetime.TheAssistantLibrariancamefrom anotheracademiclibraryfromanywhereintheworld.Theonlyrequirement besidesbeinganacademiclibrarianwasthefactthatyouhadtohavefiveyearsof experiencebeforeyoucouldapply.So,onthedayIhadmyfiveyearsof experience,IappliedandwaschosentobetheAssistantLibrarianfortheSpring 2009voyage.ThatmeantthatIwasgoingtobelivingonashipfromJanuary untilMayofthatyear.Iwasreadytogoandexploretheworld.

projectsthatIwascurrentlyinvolvedinatthelibrarycouldfitintothe conference.Iwouldalsogobackandlookatpreviousconference handouts/presentationsandseewhattopicshadbeenpresentedpreviously.Once youseewhatothersaretalkingaboutandwhattheconferenceorganizersare lookingfor,youcanthentailoryourpresentationabstracttofittheprogram.

Aspartofthisexperiencetheshipusuallyspentthreetosixdaysinaport city.Whileintheportcities,studentswereabletotakeprofessorledtripsto differentspotsandbuildingsaroundtheareaorcountry.Thesetripsnotonly providednationalcultureexperiencesbutbroadenedthestudents’world knowledge.Alongwiththis,eachmemberoftheSAScommunityhadtotake partinaone-hourWorldCulturesclassthatmeteverydaywhiletheshipwasat sea.Thisclassprovidedinformationaboutthecitiesandcountriesthattheship wasembarkingtoandfrom.Alloftheclassinstructionoccurredontheship, withthestudentstakingdifferentclasseseachdaywhilewewereatsea.

Fellowships

iences.TheshipdidnothaveunlimitedopenInternetresourcesforthestudents. TheInstituteforShipboardEducationdidofferunlimiteddatabasesandre sourcesthroughtheUniversitythattheycurrentlypartneredwith,whichatthe timewastheUniversityofVirginia.Therewasalsoalimitednumberofphysical bookslocatedontheshipthatthestudentscouldcheckoutanduseatanytime duringthevoyage.Theselimitedresourcesreallyconfusedthestudentsthatwere usedtodoingabasicGooglesearchandlearningalltheinformationtheywanted toknowaboutatopic.Theyhadtogetcreativeinhowtheydidtheirresearch andhadtoactuallydo“oldschool”,traditionalresearch.Inordertodothat,they hadtocometoalibrariantohelpthemresearchtopics.Ialsohadtothink outsidethetraditionalresearchboxinordertoassistthem.Someofthequestions includedhowtofindinformationaboutaparticularauthorfromacountryor findingbusiness/socialinformationforanEconomicsproject.Ihadtohelpthe studentssearchthedifferentdatabasesandshapetheirquestionstofindthe researchmaterialthattheyneeded.Itwasaninterestingexperiencethattaught manylessonsthatarestillhelpfultometoday.

Fellowshipsareusuallyhardertogetinthelibraryfield.Mostofthe fellowshipsaresetupforscholars(usuallytraditionalteachingfacultymembers) toeithertraveltoalocationandperformresearch,tohiregraduatestudentsto helpwitheitherresearchorteaching,ortosupportasabbaticaltofinisheithera grantproject,additionalresearch,orabook.Ifyousearchandfollownational organizations,youcanfindinformationonfellowshipsthatlibrarianscanapply forandreceive.Ihavehadthechancetoparticipateinone.Iwasselectedasa FreemanFellowduringthe2016Summersession.Thisalsohappenedtobethe lastFreemanFellowshipInstitutethattheJapanStudiesAssociationhosted.This Institute,withgeneroussupportfromtheFreemanFoundation,offereda3-week SummerInstituteonJapan.Inaddition,theseInstituteswerepossiblebecauseof thegenerouslogisticalandinstitutionalsupportprovidedbyHawai'iTokai InternationalCollegeinHonolulu.Itwasathree-weekintensivelearning experienceattheUniversityofHawaiiatManoa.TheUniversityofHawaiiwas chosenforseveraldifferentreasonsforthisfellowshipandexperience,thefirst onebeingthatHawaiiisoneofthemainstateswithaJapanese/JapaneseAmer 24

So,asyoucanseethereareseveraldifferentwaysthatyoucantravelwith yourMasterofLibraryandInformationStudiesdegree.Youdonotasalibrarian needtobebehindthereferencedeskallthetime.You,too,cantraveltheworld withyourMLISdegreeandtrustypassport. 25

icanpopulation.ThishastodowiththeclosenessofHawaiitoJapan;itisthe closestU.S.statetoJapan.Duringthesethreeweeks,wehaddifferentscholars comeanddiscussdifferentaspectsofJapanesecustoms,culture,music,literature, andfood.WealsogottoexperiencedifferenteventsandplacesthatHonolulu hastooffersuchastheU.S.S.ArizonaMemorialandtheShinnyoLantern FloatingFestivalthatisheldinHawaiieveryMemorialDay.Wealsostartedour daywithdailyJapaneselessons.BytheendofthethreeweeksIwassemiableto countto20,sayhello,andordersomefood.Iwouldcallthatawinwith experienceswithdifferentlanguages.WeattendedJapanesemusicperformances andviewedsometraditionalJapanesemovies.Attendingtheseeventsand experiencingtheseplacesreallyaddedtotheexperienceandimmersionthatwe asfellowshad.IworkatauniversitythathasaninternationalfocussoIwas excitedtogetbackandordersomeoftheresourcesandliteraturethatwehad usedduringthefellowship.ThisexperiencereallyexposedmetomaterialsthatI wouldnothavethoughtauniversitylibraryinAlabamawouldwantandneed.

Additionally,IwasabletotaketheseexperiencesandmaterialsthatIlearned aboutandusedduringtheFellowshiptocreateanHonors1101Japanese ExperienceclassatmyUniversitythefollowingfall.Thiswasatraditionalthree hourclasswherethestudentsandIexplored,researched,andexperiencedallthe informationthatIhadbeenexposedtoduringtheFellowship.Afterteachingthe class,IthenappliedtobeonaroundtablepresentationattheJapanStudies AssociationAnnualConferencetodiscussmyexperienceasaJSAFreeman FellowandwhatIwasabletodowiththoseexperiencesandmaterials.This meanttravelingbacktoHonolulusincetheJapanStudiesAssociationAnnual ConferencetakesplacethereeveryJanuary.Whilethere,Iwasalsoabletotalk tosomeJapanStudiesAssociationBoardMembersandfindoutaboutadditional conferences,workshopsandeventsthattheyhadplannedforthefuture.Ialso learnedhowtothrowmynameinthehattobecomeafutureboardmember.All oftheseideasandprogramscamefromjustonefellowshipandconference presentation.

LisaVardaman EducationReferenceLibrarian TroyUniversity lisavardaman@troy.edu 26

Alabama Libraries 60(1)

Articles inside