Westcott Building Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida (Administration FSU) Library exchange for Susanne Hennig (14th -18th March 2016) I was the first exchange librarian in this American library. Many of my colleagues there had been informed that I was in the library that week. They held a “Welcome Reception“ for me where I introduced our library in Bochum and myself. Abby Scheel, subject librarian for English, Classics, Religion and Philosophy, arranged a varied schedule of my choice and accompanied me. The main library of the Florida State University has two big libraries: Strozier (named after one of the presidents of the University, Robert Manning Strozier, mandate 1957-1960) and Paul Dirac (physicist, Nobel Prize 1933). The two libraries are public. There are some specialist libraries within Tallahassees which belong to the library system (FAMU-FSU Engineering, Florida Agriculture and Mechanical Engineering), Claude Pepper, Music, Law, Goldstein (Children’s and Information Studies) and Medical. Outside Tallahassees there are locations in Florence, Italy, London, England, Ringling Museum, Sarasota, FL und Panama City, Republic of Panama. Strozier has focused on literature of the humanities, Dirac on sciences. The libraries are very close, within 10 minutes walking distance. What they have in common is nearly the same number of students (about 40.000), being founded in the late fifies, early sixties and the book inventory of about 3 – 4 Mio books (together with the special libraries). Strozier Libary (Humanities) Panel at Dirac Library (Sciences) During the five days I limited my interest to these work fields: 1. Information desk, interior and facilities of the library 2. Interlibrary loan 3. Information literacy, courses for members of the University for research in databases and catalogues 4. Meetings of the library staff and meetings of faculty 5. Special colletions and archives 6. Interesting monuments in Tallahassee Library interior and information desk with counters Training classroom in Strozier (Single place on the 3rd floor of Strozier) As we do, too, the libraries are permanently improving their working space… Working space in Dirac Working space in Dirac with Café Carrels of the subject librarians in the basement of Strozier, the contact with the scholars is possible, because they learn in the working areas around them. The librarians of the “Scholars Commons” are in charge of the scholars, phds and faculty, the librarians of the “Learning Commons” are responsible for the starters. There is a lot of advertising for the libraries and their offers. In attractive, but for us, quite unusually presented posters, screens and flyers, activities of all kinds are announced. For example library courses or workshops for students, authors days, which are carried out by subject librarians. A graphic designer creates all the advertisement media. 1.Information department with the counters In the foyer of Strozier there is an information desk for initial guidance. The staff are student workers. Behind that counter there are turnstiles where the customers have to pull through their students cards to enter the library. Then you reach the two service counters. One desk is for book issue and information, the other for special questions concerning research in databases. At Dirac there is only one desk for all services. I had the opportunity to look over the shoulders of some colleagues. I learned that we practise theses services in a similar way (book issue and book return with scanners, questions regarding stock and library etc.). When special questions occur concerning research, there is advice at the „research desk“ just opposite. There a subject librarian is on duty. There is good service for borrowing technical equipment like laptops, cameras and charging equipment for smartphones etc. with a deposit. Turnstiles in Dirac Service desk at Strozier Research desk in Strozier (special questions for literature and database searches) (Service desk with scanner for issuing books) Strozier and Dirac are open around the clock for five days., at least during the semester. Therefore the staff has two duty rosters. At the desks reserved books are issued to the customers. The basement of Strozier is mostly used by the „graduate students“. There are special reading rooms they can enter with their student cards.The ground floor with the service desks, the big reading rooms, the “Public Library” and the Café is primarily for the „undergraduate students“. There is a special place where tutors wait for the starters to show them the library or to hold courses in literature research. In Dirac there are carrels, reading spaces, training rooms and a special room for veterans who study after their service in the army. Here you see a group working space in Dirac with screens and the option of writing on the walls during teamwork. It noticed that the library offers a lot of courses, so that the students have a good start to their studies with helpful information. The advertisments in the libraries and faculties are striking and colored, but very attractive for the students. Often events are outside – in Florida the weather is mostly fine – for example the „Spring Resources Fair“. There are stands with librarians and faculty members on “Landis Green” where students get information concerning their studies.They are given sugar candies and drinks. With a card one can get stamps at the different stands and at the end there is the possibility of a prize. So everybody is encouraged to go everywhere… Faculty and the Dean of the library Julia Zimmerman, are shown on posters the library with slogans like „Empower, Equivocate and Question“.I found that was very inspiring and the students already know these leading and teaching staff. Suggestions and criticism are welcome and on the Monopad, a screen near the entrance, students are invited to comment and give ideas and improvements to the library. (see ill.). Hygiene, water dispenser, café and popular science books and journals one can use in the foyer of Strozier library. The Public library partly funded by “Book sales” of scientific books from Strozier and Dirac. „Spring Resource Fair“ on “Landis Green“ in front of Strozier Interlibrary loan These are the steps with interlibrary loan: 1. FSU Catalog Similar to our system the students at first check whether the literature is on the Campus or in Tallahassee. Unlike here books can be ordered by interlibrary loan when they are on loan for a long time. In that case the customer doesn’t have to reserve the book or wait until it is returned, but can order it with “Uborrow”. This system manages the lending within the library system of Florida. Interlibrary loan is free. The high students fees make that possible. You can choose online where you would like to get the book. 2.UBorrow So if the book isn’t on the Campus or in other libraries in Tallahassee or it would take too long to get it, you can use UBorrow. The screenshots above show how to choose the place to get the ordered book. 3.ILLIAD If the book isn’t in Florida the order automatically comes to ILLIAD (Interlibrary Loan Internet Access Database).ILLIAD is a system which handles the orders in between the American state and international orders around the world. There is the form of ALA, American Library of America. Loan periods are thirty days. Before the loan period ends, it is possible to ask for an extention for the book at the giving library. Enrolled FSU students and Faculty member are allowed to use UBorrow and ILLIAD, no alumni, friends of the library or special customers. They have the opportunity to do interlibrary loan in the big public library of Tallahassee “Leon County Public Library”. As we do, the American libraries use the IFLA form for international orders. 4.LEDS: Library Express delivery service This service is for Faculty (PhDs, assistant-, associate- and full professors, postdoctorals). With help of a trolley, books are transported to the offices of the scholars. They order the media via email. Online articles are sent directly to the adresses of the Faculty staff (see ill. book trolley for getting the books inside the library and cart to transport them to the offices of the scholars). Distant Learners Students who are not on the Campus, are given some priorities to get literature for their studies. When they live over thirty miles away from the FSU Campus, they are entitled with their account to order books with UBorrow and ILLIAD, which are delivered directly to their homes. Online-Information is guaranteed. The FSU has many offers online in „Online distance learning“ (see videos and information under „distance.fsu.edu“). 3.Training courses Already in my short report I mentioned a course which is based on a new concept. The training of the FSU is called “Project Freshman”. For five years subject librarians together with a professor of the Faculty of Criminology have been testing this learing option. During a whole semester students, two subject librarians and the professor work together several hours a week. Content is literacy programming, databases, catalogues. The students choose a subject and with the help of the professor and the librarians they write their reports. I had the opportunity to listen to an evaluation of this project after five years experience. The result is that students with this experience pass through with better grades. Above there are some sreenshots of this evaluating presentation. If somebody is interested in the complete presentation, please contact me and I will send you the complete power point version. Other training courses are similiar to ours. Team teaching is not so popular. Most of the subject librarians do courses on their own in their subjects, sometimes in combination with information given by college lecturers and tutors.