Private Academic Library Network of Indiana, Inc. (PALNI)

This study examined the homepages of the libraries of 175 smaller bachelor of arts institutions, coding for the presence of 98 design elements. By reporting and examining the frequency of these features, the authors noted what is and is not common practice at these libraries. They found that only fourteen elements were present on at least half of the homepages studied. The most common elements were hours, a link to the university homepage, interlibrary loan, library instruction/tutorials/guides, a staff directory, an “about section,” and a “contact librarian” link. The large degree of variability in design demonstrates the unsettled nature of academic library homepage design, at least among smaller institutions, and makes it difficult for designers of such pages to follow a standard set of practices.

Review of the book Meaningful Metrics: A 21st Century Librarian's Guide to Bibliometrics, Altmetrics, and Research Impact.

This article introduces the Partnership for Shared Book Collections, a federation of monograph shared print programs. Collaboration of programs at the network level allows for:Reducing the cost of retaining the scholarly record through shared distribution of commitments;De-duplicating efforts;Developing and promoting evidence-based best practices;Increasing the effectiveness of communication with end-users and funders;Tackling large-scale projects and research that are out of reach for individual shared print programs. This shared stewardship of collection is critical as local resources are depleted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and access to print for digitization increases.

From 2016 to 2020, ten smaller schools in one regional library consortium participated in a user needs assessment project. This article documents the process for implementing a collaborative user needs assessment by utilizing the shared interest and enthusiasm of a team of librarians to create a consortial toolkit. The toolkit supplied direction and leverage to conduct ethnographic research at consortial schools while providing clarity and consistency for testing across multiple sites.

Libraries with a small staff often lack budget and expertise to create outreach and marketing plans for their libraries, resources, and services. Yet small libraries also have unique opportunities: they can more easily adapt to a changing landscape and benefit from synergies across their various services. Karl Stutzman and Susan Ebertz, who manage small theological libraries, will share about their ongoing experiments with marketing and outreach. Special guest Megan West, Communications and Marketing Director at Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI), will share creative strategies and options for small libraries that are ready to up their marketing game. West has experience with communications and marketing in a variety of media through her work supporting the PALNI consortium. PALNI includes a number of small libraries and is working on an initiative to engage a variety of stakeholders at its supported libraries.

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) is a collaboration of twenty-four private academic institutions ranging in size from under 1,000 to 5,000 FTE. More than a resource-sharing consortium, PALNI empowers our supported libraries to enhance student success, faculty teaching, and institutional sustainability through strategic innovation, shared expertise, and cooperative problem-solving. This article examines PALNI’s structure, strategic initiatives, and impact, illustrating how it drives cost-effective solutions, advances library services, and strengthens supported institutions.

Introduction: In 2018, the Library Publishing Coalition (LPC) Professional Development Committee (PDC) created the Peer Mentorship Program as a way for library publishing practitioners to build professional relationships within the LPC community and support the development of professionals in the library publishing field. This program was created to help fill the gap in library publishing mentorship resources, in both programs and published literature. Description of Program: The LPC Mentorship Program was created in 2018 as a traditional mentor/mentee mentorship relationship, but it has undergone iterations each year since, resulting in the current Peer Mentorship Program. Additionally, more structure and support for mentorship pairs have been developed and made available each year, thanks to helpful feedback from mid-year and end-of-year participant survey responses. Next Steps: This article identifies ways in which further outreach should be conducted to diversify and expand participants of the Peer Mentorship Program, and also to help support the work needed to sustain a program like this. Finally, suggestions are made for further research and literature to be made available to support the growing need for mentorship in the library publishing field.