Friends of the UNCG Libraries

The Diversity Committee of the University Libraries is pleased to present an event with one of UNCG's distinguished faculty members and renowned poet, Dr. Mark Smith Soto. Dr. Mark Smith-Soto will discuss his writing career and the ways in which his ethnic identity has influenced both the perception and creation of his poetry. Please join us on Tuesday, October 25, at 4:00 pm in Kirkland Room, Elliott University Center. Dr. Smith-Soto was born in his father's hometown, Washington D.C., and reared in his mother's native country, Costa Rica. He is Professor of Spanish, editor of International Poetry Review , and former director of the Center for Creative Writing in the Arts at UNCG. A 2005 winner of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in creative writing, his poetry has appeared in Nimrod , The Sun , Poetry East , Quarterly West , Callaloo , Literary Review , Kenyon Review and many other literary journals. The author of three award-winning poetry chapbooks,

The ongoing Friends of the UNCG Libraries book sale will restart on Tuesday, October 18. Books will be restocked each Tuesday morning during the active part of each semester (monthly during the summer).

UNCG librarians and staff, as well as LIS faculty and students, were very active participants in the recent North Carolina Library Association biennial meeting in Hickory. Not counting alumni, we counted 24 presentations involving UNCG personnel and 9 poster sessions. Assistant Director Mike Crumpton also served on the Program Committee. Presentations from UNCG included the following: Educating Community College Librarians Nora Bird, UNCG & Mike Crumpton, UNCG Everybody Teaches! Creating Effective Online e-learning Experiences Beth Filar Williams, UNCG & Amy Archambault, UNCG Lauren Pressley, Wake Forest University Establishing the Library in the Cultural Fabric of the Community: Ten Tips for Linking the Library to the World Barry K. Miller, UNCG Lessons Learned: Getting the Most Out of Libguides Jennifer Balance, CPCC Randall Bowman, Elon University Michelle Cosby, NC Central Law Library Jenny Dale, UNCG Nina Exner, NC A&T University Susan Wolf Neilso

In Spring of 2010 the University of North Carolina (UNC) system administered the biennial Sophomore and Senior surveys to all 16 campuses. Several questions about the campus libraries are included in each survey. The Senior Survey included four questions about libraries. Approximately 1,000 UNCG students answered each question. On a four-point scale with 4 as “excellent” the UNCG University Libraries received the following scores: • Hours of operation (3.7) • Staff responsiveness (3.5) • Access to databases and collections (3.6) • Library services overall (3.6) We exceeded the UNC average for these questions in each category. Because these questions have remained the same for over 10 years we are able to get a longitudinal picture of our progress; our scores have improved each year. UNCG had a 57% response rate to the Sophomore Survey. It included six questions about libraries using a five-point scale with 5 as “very satisfied.” The University Libraries received good results