Bethany Messersmith joined the Ivy Tech Columbus team on November 1, 2016 as Library Director. She holds an MLS/MA in Journalism from Indiana University. Prior to accepting the position at Ivy Tech, Bethany served for 5 years as the Information Literacy Librarian at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO.
Her passion in the realm of librarianship includes - marketing, programming, social media and instruction. Please feel free to reach out to Bethany for any questions or requests regarding library services/resources. You may e-mail her at bmessersmith@ivytech.edu or give her a call at (812) 374-5111.
ComicCon
We are looking for new opportunities to engage library users. One of the ways we'll be doing that is via the roll out of special programming. The University Library at Ivy Tech Columbus is looking to partner with comic book/gaming vendors to offer a ComicCon event for the first time ever this spring. ComicCon celebrates everything superhero and comic book-related. Many big cities like San Diego, Indianapolis, etc. host ComicCon events annually.
We will be hosting the ComicCon on April 6 during the day. We're in the midst of establishing a detailed schedule, so please stay tuned for more information. If you have any questions or recommendations for the event, please contact Abby or Bethany!
Finals Week - Spring 2017
As you know, finals week is an especially stressful time during the semester. That is why the library is committed to providing stress relief to you and your students! Due to the wide success of de-stress activities last semester, we'll be providing food, crafts, hand massages, and pet therapy again this semester. If you have any exciting ideas you'd like to pass on to help students celebrate the last week of the semester, don't hesitate to contact Bethany.Books
The University Library is committed to supporting your academic programs through the purchase of electronic and print resources. Each year the library receives an allotment of funds towards book/eBook purchases specifically. While we are unable to purchase textbooks required in your respective classes, please contact Bethany with a list of book recommendations that you feel would best support your students' upcoming research projects.
Instruction
The University Library is excited to offer customized instruction to support your students' upcoming research projects. If you would like a librarian to visit your classroom, please contact Bethany or Abby or request instruction via our website. Please keep in mind that library sessions should be provided as close to the point of need as possible (that is, the assignment due date; within 2-3 weeks max).
If you would provide the library staff with at least 1-2 weeks advanced notice, we will make every effort to accommodate your request. This will also enable us to establish shared learning outcomes that meet your students' learning needs!
Research Guides
Students tend to conduct their research after standard office hours or during the wee hours of the morning. That is especially true for your non-traditional students who are working and supporting families in many instances. That is why the University Library is a firm supporter of creating customized research guides to support subject/assignment-specific research needs that students have.
We can work with you to list databases, books, websites, and other resources that are helpful to your upcoming course assignments. You can then include a link to this guide within the learning management system (LMS) for your class.
For sample research guides, please click here.
Tutorials
For audiovisual learners, tutorials are often a great way for them to grasp processes/procedures. This is especially true when it comes to your students requesting books via interlibrary loan, learning how to use our library catalog, etc. Please click here for a list of the most current tutorials available for your library. If there are other tutorials that you think we should create to support student learning, please don't hesitate to contact Bethany or Abby!The University Library would like to thank Lloyd Brooks in Visual Communication for providing us with a graphic design intern to
promote library services, resources, and special events for the spring 2017 semester. We have a list of several projects we'll be using this student's expertise to complete.
Ask A Librarian is a great service that allows your students to get research assistance consistently via e-mail or our real-time chat 
service. If students don't know how to contact their librarian directly, this provides them with an excellent opportunity to contact the library via our home page. You may also choose to include this link in the learning management system under your specific course.
Over the next several years, the University Library will be looking to expand programming opportunities to students. Would you consider partnering with us in making these events possible by giving towards our library program account in the Foundation?