| Illinois Sustainable Technology Center Library |
2010 no. 6 |
| Library Profile |
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| What is unique about your library?
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We are one of the few libraries in the country who has
collected extensively in the area of pollution prevention. Pollution prevention
is different than recycling. Pollution prevention is about looking at the
process, rather than dealing with a result. As far as I know, at least half of
our collection is unique in CARLI, and 10% of the collection didn’t have
records when we input to OCLC. I think our collection has a lot of materials
that no one else has collected all in one place.
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| What are the primary goals and objectives of your library? |
My patrons are mainly the scientists, researchers and
engineers here at the ISTC. My main goal is to get them the information they
ask for, as well as the information they need before they know they need it. I
try to keep on top of what they are researching so that I can proactively find
information that will be helpful to them. I also try to keep up with new
technologies that will benefit their work and research.
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| What cooperative efforts are you currently doing? |
I have been doing Green Library Workshops throughout the
state. It is a great way to give back to the library community. I work 10 hours
a week at the reference desk at the Illinois Natural History Survey Library. The
state survey libraries meet to work together on common issues and I attend
those meetings. I have also served on several boards and committees throughout
the state.
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| Tell us a story about your library. |
I think that our library has really evolved beyond a
physical collection. What the staff at ISTC values is having a librarian who
helps them find the information they need. A lot of that information is now
available online. The collection and the physical space aren’t as valuable as
the services that I, as a degreed librarian, provide to the staff. I attend
meetings and feel like I am part of the team. This helps me be in the middle of
what the staff of the center is doing and helps me to provide them with the
information they need.
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| If money were no object, what services would you add? |
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| What is popular in your library? |
Me! When people come into the library here, 90% if the
time they are looking for me. People come in asking me for help to find a
recent publication they have heard about, or to ask me to help them figure out
the correct citation for a paper they are working on. Having a librarian, a
person, a face, that people can come to and ask for help really makes this
library popular and I am glad that I can be that person. Even though we have no
money for collection development, I can usually get the materials that are
requested.
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| How does your library use online tools to connect to your users? |
We have a website where I have developed a series of
reference guides. I have an environmental news blog that I maintain which is
posted to Facebook and Twitter. The library also has its own Twitter account so
that I can push information out easily.
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Request a visit to your library Library of the Week Executive Director: Jan Ison, Editorial and Design Team: Michelle Ralston and David Lottes |
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