Learning outcomes assessment incorporated into first-year programs; more to follow.

One significant outcome of the University’s recent reaccreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education is the “collective institutional effort to put in place a system of student learning outcomes assessment in every department of every college and school.” Within the last two years, the Libraries have begun to foster a culture of assessment by developing a plan to measure student learning for first-year programs. These programs include the Freshman Writing Program, GEMS 100-Instruction to Gemstone, and UNIV 100-The Student in the University. Starting in spring 2008, a Pilot Project will launch with the goal of "developing a plan to infuse learning outcomes assessment practices on a systematic and routine basis among all librarians doing instruction," especially in instruction classes taught by subject-specialist librarians, curators and special collections librarians.
http://www.lib.umd.edu/groups/ilt/assessment.html
http://www.lib.umd.edu/groups/ilt/librariesloa172008.doc

Goals / Assessment:

• See details in the UM Libraries Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan Last revised 01/07/2008 at:
  http://www.lib.umd.edu/groups/ilt/librariesloa172008.doc

Library partnerships focus on academic integrity initiative covering plagiarism and ethics.

In order to respond to the heightened incidence of academic dishonesty, particularly plagiarism, on campus, the UM Libraries launched an Academic Integrity Initiative in 2005. In collaboration with campus partners (including Office of Student Conduct, Student Honor Council, Freshman Writing Program, Professional Writing Program, Center for Teaching Excellence, Writing Center, Project NEThics, and The Graduate School), the Libraries are working to raise awareness of academic integrity issues and provide information to students and educators on how to use research resources in a responsible and ethical manner.
http://www.lib.umd.edu/UES/integrity.html
http://www.lib.umd.edu/UES/integritypartnersreport2007.pdf

Goals / Assessment:

NA

Refworks and Assignment Calculator provide productivity tools to campus.

The Libraries have released a number of productivity tools to campus users. The Assignment Calculator (based on work done at the University of Minnesota) was introduced to help users manage their research. Refworks is a Web-based bibliographic management tool that allows users to build their own online personal database, manage their references, and generate in-text citations and bibliographies in various citation styles.
http://www.lib.umd.edu/UES/freecalc/ http://www.lib.umd.edu/PUBSERV/refworks/index.html

Goals / Assessment:

NA

Library content delivered via Blackboard.

Library presence in Enterprise Learning Management System (ELMS). The University of Maryland has just completed a campus wide implementation of the course management system Blackboard. Blackboard is presented to UM faculty, staff, and students through a portal named ELMS (Enterprise Learning Management System). The Libraries are delivering content to ELMS users via a distinctive University Library tab. The Libraries next step will be delivery of course reserve materials through the individual course pages within ELMS.
http://about.elms.umd.edu/about/

Goals / Assessment:

NA

Digital collections repository based on Fedora.

The Office of Digital Collections and Research (DCR) of the University of Maryland Libraries supports the teaching and research mission of the university by facilitating access to digital collections, information, and knowledge. This is accomplished through enhancing access to selected library resources through the development, maintenance, and preservation of digital collections; by serving as a knowledge resource within the university for digital library issues and development; by participating in national and international initiatives which further the development of new forms of scholarly communication, tools, standards, and applications; and by providing training and support in digital library standards and formats. The UM Libraries’ Office of Digital Collections and Research began digitizing and building a digital repository based on the Fedora platform in January 2005. Best practice guidelines for creating digital collections have been created. The University of Maryland Libraries, like many academic libraries, include not only the familiar books and journals of the general collections, but many rare and unique materials. The digital collections available here are a part of the University of Maryland Libraries' efforts to make many of our holdings more ubiquitously available in digital form.
http://www.lib.umd.edu/digital/about.jsp

Goals:

See above

Assessment:

NA