Greetings Colleagues, I trust you're well. Today I'm celebrating Virginia State University. Founded in 1882, Virginia State is committed to the preparation of a diverse population of men and women through the advancement of academic programs and services that integrate instruction, research, extension, and outreach. Tuesday, March 17, 3:00 ET, Free Live Webinar - Free Education: Open Education Resources Description: Between 2002-2013, the cost of college textbooks rose 82%. And in a survey of more than 2,000 students from 150 campuses: * 65% said they had decided against buying a textbook because it was too expensive * 48% said the cost of books had an impact on how many or which classes they took * 94% of the students who had skipped buying a required book said they were concerned that doing this would hurt their grade in that course Given the survey response, it is reasonable to suggest that retention, progression and graduation rates of college students are adversely affected by the high cost of textbooks. Various means of addressing this problem is being looked into locally and at the national level. The Affordable College Textbook Act was introduced in the US Senate in 2013 and directs "the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to support pilot programs that expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students". At the campus level, many universities are invested in supporting the use and development of high-quality open textbooks for their students by encouraging their faculty's research to develop and evaluate OERs. This workshop will give participants an overview of the OER (Open Educational Resources) and help librarians assist faculty in developing, identifying and evaluating lower-cost, electronic, and free OERs. Learning Outcomes At the end of the session the participant will be equipped with information to: 1. Understand and interpret the value of OERs 2. Locate and evaluate OERs 3. Create an OER LibGuide Intended Audience 1. Collection Development Librarians 2. Reference Librarians 3. Liaison Librarians 4. Faculty Instructor: Mary Jo Fayoyin is the Dean of Library Services at Savannah State University. In addition to her duties as chief librarian, Ms. Fayoyin, who was promoted from Director to Dean in 2013, has as her responsibilities oversight of the Audio-Visual Center, Archives, and Coordinator of Distance Learning. Registration: This course is designed for individual participation. Paste this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/H7DGYLP into your address bar and register no later than Thursday, March 12th. Registrants will receive log-in information on Monday, March 16th. Wednesday, March 18, 3:00 ET, Free Live Webinar - It's Now O'clock: Faculty Support Strategies Description: This class will discuss resources to support faculty research. It will start by discussing and giving examples of the various resources that libraries may offer to faculty for research. It will continue by presenting ways in which to properly choose and evaluate resources to support faculty research. Finally it will provide hands-on practice in utilizing select faculty research resources. Learning Outcomes By the end of this class attendants should be able to: 1. Discuss and give examples of various resources available to faculty for research 2. Evaluate resources for appropriate use 3. Be able to sufficiently utilize resources for demonstration to faculty Intended Audience 1. Staff responsible for selecting resources for faculty 2. Staff who are working in conjunction with faculty member conducting research 3. Anyone with an interest in library services supporting faculty research Instructor: Mantra Henderson is the Director of the James Herbert White Library at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, MS. Henderson, an ALA Spectrum Scholar, earned her Master's of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS in 2001 and a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Jackson State University in Jackson, MS in 1993. Henderson has more than sixteen (16) years in the library profession. Prior to her work in academic librarianship, she served as Technology Coordinator for the Sunflower County Library System, a public library system. Registration: This course is designed for individual participation. Paste this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HF52DBJ into your address bar and register no later than Thursday, March 12th. Registrants will receive log-in information on Monday, March 16th. Stayed tuned for information on upcoming classes! Respectfully, Sandra SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.