Jennifer Fielding, coordinator of library services, Lawrence Campus

 Jennifer Fielding, coordinator of library services at our Lawrence campus, has an article in Informed Librarian Online.

The article – “Combatting Mis- and Disinformation in the Time of COVID” – emphasizes the challenges of deciphering pandemic-related information, and the opportunities libraries have to address those challenges.

Mike Hearn, assistant dean of libraries, has been elected president of HELM (Higher Education Libraries of Massachusetts), a growing consortium of Massachusetts public higher education libraries that share an integrated library system, allow direct borrowing of materials, and collaborate on professional development opportunities. HELM was formed to develop and sustain cooperative initiatives and to enhance library resources, systems and services for all member libraries.

Mike Hearn, assistant dean of libraries

In 2017, the chief library officers of seven Massachusetts public institutions of higher education collaborated to develop a consortium more closely aligned with the needs of academic libraries.

During the 2017/2018 academic year, these libraries, with the assistance of the Fenway Library Organization, worked to negotiate exits from their existing networks.  Policies and procedures were established, installation of the open-source Koha integrated library system was completed, and migration from existing systems took place. The newly developed HELM catalog went live on July 1, 2018.

Tracey Trask, a member of the Public Safety Team, recently passed the certification exam to become a Clery compliance officer.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act is a federal statute requiring colleges and universities participating in federal financial aid programs to maintain and disclose campus crime statistics and security information.

According to Deb Crafts, chief of police and director of public safety and risk management at Northern Essex, Clery “is incredibly complex to understand and very time consuming to comply with.” Crafts added that one violation could cost a college almost $56,000.

Trask’s certificate will benefit the college, says Crafts, mitigating the risk of non-compliance.