Randy L. Abbott
5222 Woodridge Drive
Newburgh, IN 47630
(812)-471-6996 (Fax) / (812)-479-2727 (Office)
RA2 @evansville.edu
LIBRARY EXPERIENCE
I. University of Evansville Libraries
Head Reference Librarian, Evansville, Indiana. February 1, 1988 to
present.
Annual duties and selected achievements include:
- Lead and coordinate Department of Reference Library Instruction,
supervising two full-time librarians and one part-time paraprofessional
and three student assistants.
- Plan and implement changes in hardware, software and network
products over the past fifteen years, leading the department from zero
electronic sources to over 100 this year.
- Responsible for scheduling all librarians at the Reference Desk,
during a typical week covering 90+ hours of service.
- Responsible for ordering print materials for the Reference
Collection, including checking in the materials and recording them in a
database created to reflect the reference shelves.
- Planned the reconfiguration of the Reference Desk, including the
implementation of student assistants at the desk to act as a filter in
assisting patrons.
- Provide 20 hours per week of direct reference service to students,
faculty and the Evansville community, and participate as a teacher in
library instruction program that presents 80-100 instruction lectures per
year.
- Served on University faculty committees, including Curriculum,
Faculty and Professional Affairs, Executive Committee of the Faculty
Senate, Publications Board, Steering Committee for Accreditation, and
Honorary Degree Committee.
- Taught ten years of World Cultures: Renaissance and the
Reformation. World Cultures is a two-course sequence required of all
freshmen.
- Created ID 255, Women Mystery Writers and Rise of Feminism, in 1999. This course is affiliated with the Women's Studies Minor. See the Web Page I created for this course.
- Taught UE 101: University Success for four years. Course designed to teach study skills and life management to first-semester freshmen.
- Advised undeclared majors for ten years.
- Promoted from Instructor to Assistant Professor in 1992 and awarded
tenure in 1994.
II. Reference and Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of South
Florida, 1986-1987.
- Assisted librarians in for-credit sections of library science
course, including grading papers, aiding students in the course, and
creating handouts.
- Assisted students and other patrons in the use of the library,
including instruction in the use of the NOTIS online catalog system.
Education
Ed.S. Education Specialist, Library
Administration, management courses from the College of Business in support
of degree. University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, December
1987.
Thesis: "A Critical Analysis of the Library-Related Literature Concerning
Censorship in the Public Libraries and Public School Libraries in the
United States During the 1980s."
M.L.S. Master of Library Science, School of
Library and Information Science, (accredited by the American Library
Association), University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, December
1986.
B.S. Bachelor of Science, English and
Journalism (double majors), Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana,
February 1981.
Publications
Articles and reviews have appeared in: Public Library Quarterly,
Educational Research and Information Center Clearinghouse, The Unabashed
Librarian, CHOICE, Reference Reviews, Library Journal, and Library Times
International.
Professional Affiliations
Memberships and committee assignments in state and national
organizations have included the American Library Association, the Indiana
Library Association, and the Association of College and Research
Libraries.
Distinctions
Chosen as one of the original 33 librarians to attend the first
Snowbird Leadership Development Institute at Snowbird, Utah in 1990.
Chosen again in 1997 to serve as attendee to evaluate the institute.
RA 07/01/2003