Fairfield University

Fairfield University, founded in 1942, is a private, comprehensive Jesuit higher education institution that for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education students. The university has an enrollment of around 4,000 students, 34 academic programs and around 230 FTE faculty.

The TEAGLE Interview

The interview for the TEAGLE project took place on February 9, 2006. The following library staff and faculty participated in the interview:

1. Joan Overfield: Director of Library Services
2. Elise Bochinski: Access Services Librarian & University Archivist

Available local special collections

The DiMenna - Nyselius Library maintains the University's archives and a small collection of special materials, including old books. The special collection mainly consists of gifts and is focused on (the history of) the university. The collection includes materials such as faculty publications, master theses, yearbooks, etc.

Significant growth of the print special collection is not a priority of the library or the university, and there is no separate endowment for enhancing or preserving the collection. The existing special collection and archives are described in a collection profile, and a collection development policy has been drawn up. These materials fill up two separate rooms within the library, which are open to the primary users under supervision of the University's Archivist. The Media Center provides help with reformatting the different formats within the collections.

The library is starting up an institutional repository, which will provide access to digitally born materials, but also digitized sources from special collections and archives. Part of what will be selected for digitization, will be driven by collaboration in this area within the consortium of Jesuit universities and colleges in the US. Any future larger scale digitization projects would require additional funding.

Encouraging the use of the Special Collections and Archives

The existing infrastructure for collection development (every academic department has a liaison) is also used for communicating with faculty about use of special materials in the classroom. In addition, the library regularly organizes informal meetings and workshops on topics such as RSS feeds & blogs, Google Scholar, ARTstor, copyright, etc. for faculty and staff. To promote the use of special collections in the classroom, personal contact is considered to be the most effective instrument: every faculty member has her or his own specialty and needs customized support.

In recent years, many faculty have retired and young new faculty are hired. This development, together with the university's strategy of emphasizing academic excellence, results in what the library has observed to be an increase in undergraduate research. At the same time, the demand for support from the library in accessing special collections outside the DiMenna - Nyselius Library (e.g. 'obscure' journals) is decreasing. Apparently, students are more self-reliant in finding the information they need, whether it is within the library's collection, or elsewhere.

Making primary sources from special collections and archives more visible by providing access through the Web, is believed to be an important and appropriate way of encouraging the use of these materials in the classroom. Digitization would also prevent preservation problems, caused by intensive use.

Selected examples of using primary sources in undergraduate teaching (By Elise Bochinski)

• Dante Seminar students use folios of Doré and Dali illustrations as the basis for their multimedia presentations about Dante's Divine Comedy (English/Italian - by Mary Ann Carolan);
• The Templum Vaticanum, a 17th century book of architectural drawings and illustrations (Art History, by Jose Escobar);
• Video lectures, a lecture by Helen Prejean (used by a English 12 class reading her "Dead Man Walking";
• A campus wide project at Fairfield University in 1999 was devoted to the culture of the 1960's, and students used the photographs, newspapers, literary magazines and available audio-visual material that typified the university during that decade for various papers, presentations, and cultural projects for their classes;
• Students and faculty have requested videotapes of past university commencements, artistic programs and events, as well as academic interviews and lectures to augment their research for various classes;
• Copies of faculty publications are kept in special collections and often those are assigned by professors;
• Students have been asked to research the buildings on campus and their architecture (EN12);
• Students have been asked to find one famous alumni from various decades (70's, 80's, etc. EN12).

How can a project like the Teagle Project help? What other areas are a future priority? The most important issue in working with faculty to find relevant primary sources for their teaching is knowing what is available. Many special collections have not been cataloged, which is a barrier for use. What is needed is 'one stop shop' for special collections in the area.

Contacts

DiMenna - Nyselius Library

Joan T. Overfield
Director of Library Services
Fairfield University
North Benson Rd.
Fairfield, CT 06430 - 5195
Tel. (203) 254 4000 ext. 2182
E-mail: joverfield@mail.fairfield.edu

Elise Bochinski
Access Services Librarian & University Archivist Fairfield University
North Benson Rd.
Fairfield, CT 06430 - 5195
Tel. (203) 254 4000 ext. 2892
E-mail: ebochinski@mail.fairfield.edu