In 2016, the University of Maryland Global Campus Library began a redesign of its core information literacy tutorial in response to substantive curricular changes, the technological obsolescence of an older tutorial, and an improving understanding of student needs based on an analysis of reference questions received. This article describes the…

Within the past few years there has been an increasing emphasis on making computer science (CS) more accessible for all K-12 students. In 2013 there were 12 states that allowed CS courses to count towards high school graduation, and in 2018 that number had grown to 35 states plus the District of Columbia (Code.org, 2018). Due to the increasing…

In this article, the author discusses the future potential of electronic resources management (ERM) organization, within the development of the next-generation integrated library systems (ILS), as a very promising strategy. This also presents enormous challenges to ERM librarians though, especially on how to determine standards and workflows. The…

As part of the student success agenda, the nation's community colleges have been asked to rethink their approach to education on every level. From the explosion of smartphones and mobile devices on campus to the demand for more robust data analytics and tracking to the increasingly technical nature of global work, technology has evolved from a…

The fact that people now live in a world of abundant portable electronic devices is important to any organization that maintains a web presence, including libraries. No longer tied to a desktop, the patrons' netbooks, tablets, ebook readers, and, of course, cellphones all become potential tools for remote access to library content. About a year…

A critical part of electronic resources management, the electronic resources evaluation process is multi-faceted and includes a seemingly endless range of resources and tools involving numerous library staff. A solution is to build a Web site to bring all of the components together that can be implemented quickly and result in an organizational…

It was 2007, and a candidate for head of school had a question for the faculty: "What do you want as a school?" A veteran teacher raised his hand. "We want a faculty and staff evaluation program." Hearing this response, the candidate decided, "This is a place I want to work." Within a year, newly installed McDonogh…

Faced with meager enrollment in band, orchestra, and choir programs, schools are using digital technology to excite students about creating music on today's terms. This article discusses how music educators reinvent their profession by acknowledging and incorporating the way students interact with music today--digitally. Bill Evans, a music…

Librarians role as partners in education is to instruct customers on how to find information. Their purpose is to get information to customers. Often, that takes the form of delivering a book. Sometimes, it is accomplished by typing a URL into a web browser, reading text, and copying some of it into a text document for manipulation and…

This article explains how the document management team (circulation and interlibrary loan) at the University of Maryland University College implemented Microsoft's SharePoint product to create a central hub for online collaboration, communication, and storage. Enhancing the team's efficiency, organization, and cooperation was the primary goal.…

A discussion of a university library's use of Web conferencing (real-time synchronous instruction) which addresses the questions (1) Is Web conferencing a viable option for distance students in online only classrooms? (2) Do faculty and students benefit from this type of instruction? Four different scenarios are presented with assessment results…

The authors describe the University of Central Florida's top-down/bottom-up action analytics approach to using data to inform decision-making at the University of Central Florida. The top-down approach utilizes information about programs, modalities, and college implementation of Web initiatives. The bottom-up approach continuously monitors…

While most high school juniors in Howard County, Maryland, were quietly studying in their classrooms, students enrolled in the Energy, Power and Transportation Academy (EPT) of the Applications and Research Lab (ARL), in Ellicott City, were making a lot of noise, welding and cutting away to build an all-terrain wheelchair. The author was a part of…

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, located on the National Naval Medical Center's campus in Bethesda, Maryland, is a medical education and research facility for the nation's military and public health community. In order to support its approximately 7,500 globally distributed users, the university's James A. Zimble Learning…

Today, Mac computers offer schools an easy and powerful way to engage students in learning, foster 21st century skills and leverage existing software assets. Innovative software and hardware built into the Mac allows students to demonstrate their individual strengths--empowering them to be creators of content, rather than just consumers. Judging…