My Work

About Me

Welcome! I have been working as a reference librarian at the Social Work Library since January 2001. I assist students and faculty with research, teach library instruction sessions, create online tutorials/ guides, and select books for our collection.

For more information, you may contact met at: silfen@bc.edu. Or stop by and say hello; my office is in the basement of McGuinn Hall.

Reference

My primary responsibility is to be available to help students and faculty members with their research. I love the detective work that goes into finding information! I am here to help students and faculty do literature reviews, find data, books, and any other background information they might need for their assignments or research.

I have particularly enjoyed the process of figuring out how to track down tests and measures. Please see the online guide that I created for finding tests & measures.

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Instruction

With the help of the Head Librarian, I design and present library instruction sessions for core Social Work courses. These include:

• Diversity & Cross-Cultural Issues: This is a required course for all GSSW students. Most students take "Diversity & Cross Cultural Students" in their first semester at the Graduate School of Social Work, so we use our allotted class time to introduce students to basic library searching skills. These skills include catalog searching, database searching skills, and getting oriented with resources on the Social Work Library's homepage. Here is a pdf version of the presentation that we gave last fall.
  
• Research Methods: This is another core course for first-year students. It covers basic methods of social work research including research investigation and design, problem formulation, and both quantitative and qualitative methods of doing research. As part of the course, students are required to write a research proposal that includes a literature review. In this session, we give students tips for for identifying and evaluating research-based journal literature. Here is a pdf version of the presentation that we gave last spring.
  
• Writing & APA Format: During my first few years at Boston College, I offered drop-in writing workshops to new GSSW students. The focus of these workshops was introduce students to APA Style, the format that they are required to use for structuring their papers and citing sources. Two years ago, I designed a Power Point version of this workshop that is now featured on a video and presented by Professor Katie McInnis-Dittrich.
  
• Online Tutorials: I create online tutorials that guide users through the process of using library tools. I worked collaborated with librarian John Walsh on a tutorial for RefWorks. The Social Work Library staff maintains a WebCT Vista site called Social Work Central, and site with research tools for GSSW students and faculty. The site features an online tutorial that explains how to do a database search. The WebCT sites for the Research Methods courses and the advanced clinical course have a comprehensive guide to searching to tests & measures.

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Collections

I select books for the Social Work Library using our approval plan from Yankee. I supplement the approval plan suggestions by consulting publishers listed off ACRL's Social Work/Social Welfare Librarians Committee site.

I recently revised our approval plan's profile so that we would receive title suggestions relevant to the GSSW's new Global Practice concentration.

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Library Wide Projects

I have been involved in several library wide initiatives during my time at Boston College. These include:

• Coordinating the launch of BC's virtual reference pilot project in 2002.
• Serving on the Web Assessment Group.
• Co-chairing the Library Assessment Task Force.

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Professional Involvement

I have been actively involved in ACRL's EBSS division. The EBSS (Education, Behavior, and Social Science) division encompasses committees geared for librarians who work in the following fields: psychology, social work, education, and communications. I served two terms on the Social Work/Social Welfare Committee, and chaired the Reference Sources & Services Committeefrom 2005-2007.

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Beyond Librarianship

Outside work, I enjoy reading (poetry, theology/spirituality, and historical mysteries), going to the movies, and hanging out with my Ragdoll cat. I volunteer for various organizations that promote social justice, including the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization.

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