Seeking Volunteers for Focus Groups

Are you interested in participating in a one-hour focus group where you can provide your opinion on what can be done to improve Pius XII Memorial Library?  To help make this event possible, we’d like to provide you with the following information.  The focus groups will be held in Pius Library’s Knights Room, located on the library’s first floor.  Pizza, salad, and soda will be provided for free!  There will be four sessions in the next two weeks; here are the dates and times. 

Day                              Date                             Time

Monday                         March 3                        4:00-5:00pm
Tuesday                        March 4                        4:00-5:00pm

If you can attend any of these sessions, please respond to gregorypl@slu.edu.  Just reply with the session for which you are available, and we’ll know to see you there.  Thanks in advance for your help in this important job! 

Pat Gregory
Assistant University Librarian for Research & Assessment
Pius XII Memorial Library
gregorypl@slu.edu
977-3107

Donghua Tao Named 2008 Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship Award Winner

Donghua Tao, librarian faculty at the Medical Center Library, Saint Louis University and graduate student at the University of Missouri - Columbia School of Information Science & Learning Technology (SISLT), has been awarded the 2008 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship for her proposal, “Using Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) in Understanding Selection and Use of Information Resources: An Information Resource Selection and Use Model.”

The fellowship, sponsored by Thomson Scientific, fosters research in academic librarianship by encouraging and supporting dissertation research. The award of $1,500 and a plaque will be presented at the 2008 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif., during the ACRL President’s Program at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, June 30.

“Ms. Tao’s proposal is clearly significant to academic librarians, as she is looking at how students intend to use information resources in conjunction with how they actually use those resources,” said Nancy H. Seamans, chair of the selection committee and associate university librarian and director of research and instructional services at the University of Iowa.

Assistant Provost for University Libraries at Saint Louis University Dr. Gail M. Staines says, “Donghua’s research is critical to our understanding of how today’s students and future workers locate and use information. This is a highly competitive award and we are so proud that her research in this area is being recognized.”

Tao received her Bachelor of Medical Science in Medical Library and Information Sciences from the China Medical University in Shenyang, China. She earned her Master of Arts in Library Science with a specialty in Medical Librarianship from the University of Missouri - Columbia SISLT, where she is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Health Informatics and her Ph.D. in Information Science.

Three New Exhibits in Pius Library

What does Valentine’s Day, the Chinese New Year, and the Nancy McNeir Ring Outstanding Faculty Award have in common? They all have exhibits in Pius Library!

For Valentine’s Day, library staff and students have put together an exhibit of the “Gods and Goddesses of Love.”

On the second floor of Pius is the Chinese New Year exhibit which includes original Chinese objects from the collection of Shu Jiao, Head of Access Services.

Learn about the Nancy McNeir Ring Outstanding Faculty Award from the exhibit on the main floor. Photographs of past winners are included. Any SLU student may nominate a full-time teacher. The faculty member must meet the following criteria: has spent at least 5 years as a full-time teacher at SLU; is an excellent teacher; and demonstrates a commitment to student welfare beyond the classroom.

Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society, presents the Nancy McNeir Ring Outstanding Faculty Award annually. This is the oldest student initiated teaching award at SLU, given each year since 1966. The Award honors the memory of Miss Nancy M. Ring, SLU’s first Dean of Women.

To obtain a nomination application, email: alphasigmanu@gmail.com or pick up an application in Pius Library at the Award exhibit. Deadline for applications is March 28, 2008. While you are in Pius, take a look at the “Chinese New Year” and “Gods and Goddesses of Love exhibits.”