What I Did Last Summer at Library Camp!
- 1. What I Did Last Summer… At Library Camp! The Information Matrix Camp, 2007-2012 and Beyond David D. Oberhelman d.oberhelman@okstate.edu Oklahoma State University Library
- 2. History of the IM Camp • Established in 2007 by OLA (Career Recruitment & Retention Committee) and Rose State College co-sponsors • 3-Year $100,000 IMLS grant, Donations from libraries, Friends groups, OLA
- 3. What Participants Learn • Shortage of librarians • Many types of librarians with specialties (including IT staff) • Other information professional careers • Role of libraries in lifelong learning • If they do not become librarians, they will be great library users, Friends, advocates, or board members. • Day in the life of a library
- 4. Camp Info & Schedule • ~30 campers for 1 week • 12-14 Year-old campers, • Recommended by librarian • $50 only (to help with food) • Counselors – librarians (OLA and RSC), night help • Medical forms, permissions, etc. • Tour libraries, archives, museums in OKC/Tulsa • Computer activities • Evening activities at a library, librarian talks, library fun!
- 5. Libraries, etc., Visited • Large, small, & medium public libraries • Oklahoma History Center • Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism • Oklahoma Library for the Blind • Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum • Will Rogers Memorial • Medical & law libraries • Corporate / special libraries (Devon Energy) • Academic libraries: college, medium-sized university, large university • School libraries (help younger children w/ reading)
- 7. IM Camp Since 2007 • 2007-2009 camps based at Rose State, IMLS grant • 2010 OLA Endowment money only; camp at University of Tulsa • 2011-2012 camps at Rose State, 2nd IMLS grant • 2013 location TBD • New and repeat campers • Advanced camp for 15-16 year-old?
- 8. 2012 Camp
- 9. IM Camp Visits OSU • March 2012 request for first visit to OSU Library • OSU team assembled (experience with school and younger groups) • Challenge: How to introduce middle-schoolers to a big academic library and get them interested in a career (or learn to love libraries)?
- 10. Planning and Logistics • Logistics: – Tour schedule – ~30 minutes per area max – Keep campers entertained & informed – Moving campers from point A to point B – Parking for bus / pick-up and drop-off – Feeding them (funding from host library) • Activities – scavenger hunt • “Why I became a librarian” talks • Goals of Tour: – Prepare them for transition from school to college library settings – Introduce them to range of academic services and careers
- 11. Schedule Friday, July 20 Breakfast in Lobby Leave 9:00 AM for Stillwater 10:15: OSU Architecture Library 10:45 Main Library (Photo scavenger hunt) 11:15 Oklahoma Oral History Research Program 11:45 Box Lunches in Browsing Room 12:15 Room 206 Photos from scavenger hunt 12:45 Gov Docs 1:15 Special Collections and University Archives 1:45 Curriculum Materials Library 2:15 Student Union 2:45 Leave Stillwater for Rose State College
- 12. Architecture Library • Special departmental / branch library • Unique material (“pop-up books” for architects) • Learn about specialized collections for different areas of study and careers (what kind of information does an architect need? Design, codes, etc.)
- 13. Stress Test • Materials Stress Test with OSU School of Architecture and Civil Engineering faculty • Hands-on science activity • Learn how scientists depend on libraries and information (engineering handbooks, etc.) for their work and value of STEM library collections
- 15. Library Tour and Hunt • Challenge: How to make tour fun but also teach value of libraries • Photo scavenger hunt • Combine with computer time on using digital images • Introduce them to a big library and university environment (studying, etc.)
- 16. Oklahoma Oral History Research Program • Oklahoma Oral History Program overview • Highlights from the O- State Stories interviews • What is an oral historian? • Build upon what students have learned in archives & museums about the many ways to document past
- 17. Oral History Interview Transcript Former Oklahoma Governor Henry Bellmon, interviewed by OSU President Burns Hargis, Nov. 2008
- 18. Special Collections & University Archives • Introduce campers to Special Collections and archives (what they do and what they collect) • Show the range of materials in such a library collection (books and much more!)
- 19. “Wow, OLD Books!” • Incunabula and other early books (and MSS) • Quick lesson in the history of the book with visuals and interesting facts (wormholes) • Early print samples to show campers how information was spread (school primer from Colonial America, etc.)
- 20. Ephemera & “Cool Things” • More the just books! • Samples of the different forms of ephemera and how they are cared for • Discuss career possibilities, including preservation and conservation
- 21. Curriculum Materials Library • Teaching collection with YA books and curriculum materials • Learn how their teachers learn! • Time to look for their favorite books or discover new authors
- 22. Final Group Shot
- 23. Future Visits • 2013 camp plans underway • Possible repeat visit to OSU and see other unique collections (Veterinary Medicine Library and teaching hospital, Agricultural Experiment Station, Fire Protection) • Continue seeking new ways to introduce students to libraries of all varieties and create new library users/supporters