library. ola 2008 inside out: library services at point of need sharon munro, university of windsor...
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LIBRARY
OLA 2008
Inside Out: Inside Out: Library Services at Library Services at
Point of NeedPoint of NeedSharon Munro, University of Windsor
Sophie Bury, York University
Ilo-Katryn Maimets, York University
OLA 2008
Session OutlineKey Questions
What are the needs of faculty and students – what do we know about their knowledge, experience and skills?
Reference Research Information Literacy
What difference can we make and how? Theory, practice and case studies
Learning from each other
OLA 2008
Assessing Needs Examples from the literature User needs assessment
Focus groups Surveys Pre-test/post-test
OLA 2008
What are the needs?
“…Librarians are dedicated to maintaining the importance and relevance of the academic library as a place of intellectual stimulation and a center of activity on campus. Even so, some feel that libraries are becoming marginalized. …We must find ways to promote the values, expertise and leadership of the profession throughout the campus to ensure appreciation for the roles librarians can and do play. Though access to information is becoming increasingly decentralized and computer labs now compete with libraries as campus gathering points, librarians must demonstrate to the campus community that the library remains central to academic effort.”
Hisle, W. Lee (2002) Top issues facing academic libraries: a report of the Focus on the Future Task Force. College & Research Libraries News, 63 (10), pp. 715.
OLA 2008
What are the needs? “Let’s face it: not only do many faculty
members not think of the library as the heart of the college, but we seem to be more like the kidneys – often ignored when we’re around but missed when significantly compromised or removed.”
Rabinowitz, Celia E. (2003). Moving beyond the “Re” generation: making libraries and librarians count in the twenty-first century. In Martin H. Raish (ed.), Musings, meanderings, and monsters, too: essays on academic librarianship. Lanham, Md: The Scarecrow Press, pp. 23.
OLA 2008
“…observing faculty in their offices as they interacted with our electronic resources, outreach reference librarians noted that faculty would habitually execute the same keyword search across different databases without taking advantage of controlled language searching through thesauri. In addition, faculty seemed to be unaware of the advantage of using proximity operators in searching full text databases.”
Cruickshank, John, & Nowak, David G. (2001) Marketing reference resources and services through a university outreach program. The Reference Librarian, 73, pp. 271.
What are the needs?
OLA 2008
What are the needs? - Evidence
“…The survey findings indicate that 89 percent of college student information searches begin with a search engine… Library Web sites were selected by just 2 percent of students as the source used to begin an information search.”
OCLC (2006). College students’ perceptions of libraries and information resources – Part 1, pp. 1-7.www.oclc.org/reports/pdfs/studentperceptions.pdf
OLA 2008
What are the needs? - Evidence “Fifty-four percent of college students
do not seek assistance when using library electronic resources, while 64 percent of total respondents report they have not sought help when using the library’s electronic resources.”
OCLC (2006). College students’ perceptions of library and information resources - Part 2, pp. 2-6.
OLA 2008
What are the needs? - Evidence “…Although usage of many of the library
electronic resources is relatively low, respondents indicated that the information provided is worthwhile. While only 8 percent of college student respondents have used an online librarian question service, 64 percent of the college students who used this service completely agree or agree this service provides worthwhile information.”
OCLC (2006). College students’ perceptions of library and information resources - Part 1, pp. 1-14.
OLA 2008
What are the needs? - Evidence
“My schedule rarely fits their schedule.”
21-year-old undergraduate from the United States
OCLC (2005). Perceptions of libraries and information resources - question 812b, “Please list two negative associations with the library”.
OLA 2008
What are the needs? - Evidence
“Just remember that students are less informed about the resources of the library than ever before because they are competing heavily with the Internet.”
20-year-old undergraduate from the United States
OCLC (2005). Perceptions of libraries and information resources - question 1240, “If you could provide one piece of advice to your library, what would it be?”
OLA 2008
What are the needs? - Evidence “…Libraries will continue to share an expanding
infosphere with an increasing number of content producers, providers and consumers. Information consumers will continue to self-serve from a growing information smorgasbord. The challenge for libraries is to clearly define and market their relevant place in that infosphere – their services and collections both physical and virtual.”
OCLC (2006). College students’ perceptions of library and information resources - Part 6, pp. 6-6.
OLA 2008
Outreach - planning and preparation
“Before implementing outreach programs, librarians should analyze, or review, user needs, campus context, and available resources.”
Westbrook, Lynn, & Waldman, Robert (1993) Outreach
in Academic Libraries: Principle into Practice. Research Strategies,11 (2), pp. 61.
OLA 2008
User Needs Assessment Conducted at York University Libraries Graduate students
Survey Focus groups
Goal of gathering information about: Research habits Awareness / experiences / perceptions
reference IL services web-based guides and tutorials
Recommendations and advice on how reference, IL, and web-based guides and tutorials should be enhanced at York
OLA 2008
Survey of Graduate Students Online survey: Survey Monkey Sent to all graduate program directors for
distribution to graduate student mailing lists on campus in October 2007
193 completed responses (60.9% Masters; 39.1% Doctorate) Total response rate was 5%
Survey
OLA 2008
Graduate Student Focus Groups Five focus groups
Two at Scott Library - Social Sciences, Humanities, Environmental Studies, Education, Fine Arts - October 2007
Two at Steacie Science & Engineering Library - October 2007 Two at Bronfman Business Library (MBAs) – May 2005
Volunteers sought through e-mail (graduate student listservs) and through graduate student classes, workshops and TA events
Participants in focus groups 18 at Scott Library 13 at Steacie Science and Engineering Library 11 at Bronfman Business Library
Focus groups
Resources Used for Research
Survey
Frequency of research activitiesSurvey
OLA 2008
Challenges with research Focusing the search – frustrations
Challenges of navigating the Library web site Lack of awareness of:
Web-based subject research guides Especially Science and Business
Relevant databases for their discipline Especially Science and Business
Unfocused results / too much reading Multiple database interfaces “we waste too much time
when we don’t know the tricks” and need Time-saving shortcuts Effective search tips
Focus groups
Awareness of library servicesSurvey
Usage of library servicesSurvey
Accessing librarian servicesSurvey
Resources - Professor inputSurvey
Services - Professor inputSurvey
OLA 2008
Research - Professor input “Professors do not give a lot of guidance on
approaching research” Faculty appear to expect them to have skills already
Students say they lack skills Or to expect them to know how to teach themselves
Any guidance given involves: specific journals/ authors/ references resources relevant to specific research projects/tasks
No guidance on searching / finding relevant library resources / services
Students want more guidance!
Focus groups
OLA 2008
Student recommendationsOutreach to faculty
Increased communication of librarians with faculty
Faculty and librarian collaboration on assignments to combine research process with subject content
Professors themselves need help to develop their own research skills and knowledge of library resources and services. This may explain the lack of referral to library
services.
Focus groups
OLA 2008
Student recommendationsPromoting Awareness of Workshops/Classes
E-mail is preferred - listserv was requested
Posters in the Libraries, academic departments and high traffic areas / hang-outs
Raise profile for workshops and classes on Library home page
Raise awareness of names and responsibilities of subject librarians
Focus groups
OLA 2008
Student recommendationsWorkshops/Classes: Content/Format
Need workshops to accommodate Multiple skill levels Varying knowledge requirements
Types of workshops: Generic/introductory Subject specific (program related) Advanced/customized workshops - mentioned themes
covered by library specialized workshops e.g. RSS feeds, digital copyright, and Google Scholar
Writing / presentation skills / etc
Focus groups
OLA 2008
Graduate students -Important issuesCampus partnerships needed for supporting student research:
Campus-wide collaborations with relevant learning support services: Writing centres, Computing services, Faculty of Graduate Studies
How to research and write papers: Changed expectations in graduate programs Guidance needed to meet expectations Better access to online writing guides
How to make effective presentations (including conference presentations)
How to submit papers for publication and conferences
Grant writing
Focus groups
OLA 2008
Making a Difference Examples from the literature Case studies
Off-site reference/IL services in person – University of Windsor
Nursing and Social work Off-site reference/IL services online – York
University Nursing
Evaluation of learning outcomes in curriculum integrated IL initiative – York University
Biology Pre-test / post-test
OLA 2008
What difference can we make?
Inside the classroom, Outside the library
Librarians as proactive and innovative partners
Meeting users at their “point of need” Curriculum integration vital to teaching,
learning and research Ongoing evaluation informs change
OLA 2008
Off-site Reference/IL “For years, the focus has been to draw people into
libraries. Libraries’ holdings have been moved to offsite locations, and student services have been brought into our buildings as information commons become more popular and ensure bodies passing through gate counters. Longer visits have been encouraged with cafes. Still, this isn’t enough. A different tack is needed. Instead of pulling people in, librarians need to reach outward to become an integral part of the routine interactions of faculty and students.”
Ramsay, Karen M., & Kinnie, Jim (2006) The embedded librarian. Library Journal, 131 (6), pp. 34.
OLA 2008
Off-site Reference/IL “Students may be reluctant to ask questions at a
library reference desk because it is such a public venue. It may be possible to give them an alternative by providing reference service outside of the library within a faculty lab or office. Advantages include convenience and proximity to students, faculty and their learning communities. The service may also foster closer and stronger relationships within departments. It is important to choose a location wisely, as well as advertise widely.”
Lee, Jennifer, Hayden, K. Alix, & MacMillan, Don (2004) “I wouldn’t have asked for help if I had to go to the library”: reference services on site. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, 41 (Fall). Retrieved online: www.istl.org/04-fall/article2.html
OLA 2008
Off-site Reference/IL “…The relationships created through the
interactions of library staff with students in the informal environment of the Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) lounge has provided contact with students that do not ordinarily come into the engineering library and in some cases, lasting contacts with a few students of Purdue University. These positive interactions have shown that this service enhances the experience of library patrons.”
Nelson, Megan S. (2007) Initiating engineering outreach reference services: background and practice. Reference Services Review,35 (2), pp. 283.
OLA 2008
Nursing and Social Work at Windsor Set up office space in a high profile area
within the department and ADVERTISE Choose days and times when student traffic
will be high Check in with faculty about their research
projects and keep them apprised of new library resources
Check in with support staff Connect with representatives of relevant
student associations
OLA 2008
Get a web page for the library on the department’s web site
Include information about library resources on departmental bulletin boards
Get involved with faculty council meetings for your departments
Hold workshops for faculty
Nursing and Social Work at Windsor
OLA 2008
Partner with faculty to write research papers
Attend conference and research sessions organized by your departments
Develop ties with relevant professional organizations, e.g., the Ontario Association of Social Workers
Integrate information literacy into the curriculum
Nursing and Social Work at Windsor
OLA 2008
Nursing at York Introduction to IL
Presentations at Retreats and New Faculty Teaching at York (NFTY) seminars
Curriculum Committee School of Nursing Council
Language included strategically UPR Library statements OCGS Library statements Discussions with external reviewers
OLA 2008
Nursing at York Undergraduate Level:
Factors for success: Most important is program director’s interest Individual faculty buy-in also important
MScN online program: Library presence a must in wholly online program E-learning librarian input in creation of an integrated library
module during migration from WebCT to Moodle Instructional video clips integrated for ‘point of need’
assistance
OLA 2008
Nursing at York
Mandatory IL assignment in 3rd year Internationally Educated Nursing Post-RN program (IEN) Collaborative program 2nd entry program
Integration most successful into IEN program 3 in-class library sessions Assignment-driven skills acquisition Marks given for process
OLA 2008
General instructional video clips Catalogue Workshops walk the viewer through
the steps of logging into the York Library website, and using the Library Catalogue for finding books, journals and other library items such as databases and online resources. Accessing e-Resources from Home Searching the Library Catalogue Setting Limits Reserves – short term loans Databases at York RACER- Document Delivery
OLA 2008
Nursing instructional video clips Searching and refining searches in CINAHL(Ovid)
and MEDLINE(Ovid) Subject Headings - Single Search Subject Headings - Combining Searches Keyword Searching Combining Subject Heading Searches with Keyword
searches Setting Limits - date ranges, journal sets, publication
types, etc. Finding Full Text Articles Results Manager - Save search results and send them to
RefWorks
OLA 2008
Lessons Online Lessons teach the principles behind searching.
contain definitions and more detail about the processes they address.
Developing a Search Strategy: This lesson is the precursor to Keyword Searching, and Subject Heading Searching. It describes the use of the Boolean Operators AND and OR as well as Truncation and troubleshooting to optimize results.
Subject Heading Searches and Keyword Searches: This lesson contains a glossary of terms and clarifies the differences between subject heading and keyword searching
DEMO
OLA 2008
Biology at York - History
Several years of one-offs in specialized upper level courses and graduate program
A few very supportive faculty Ecology (2ndyr, 4thyr and grad level) Immunobiology Microbiology
Large first-year classes 1200+ students
OLA 2008
Dialogue begins Summer 2007 Abysmal quality of writing and
referencing Lack of understanding of the research
process
OLA 2008
SC/BIOL 3100 Current Topics in Biology ‘Gateway' course for 3rd year honours biology
students Designed to prepare them for the 4th year
honours thesis Major aim to teach the research and writing
skills to students, at a level appropriate for an upper-year course
“I am sick and tired of citations from the 1st year biology textbook and Wikipedia!”
OLA 2008
Desired Outcomes1. How to search for and evaluate relevant
primary, secondary and tertiary literature as well as grey literature – government reports etc.
2. How to read and interpret research articles
3. How to properly write a research paper
4. How to properly give a research seminar
OLA 2008
Skills Needed for Research:
Learn how the scientific method is related to the research process as well as the publication cycle in Science
Acquire expertise in the use of tools and resources in the chosen subject area
Develop sound research, evaluation and critical thinking skills
OLA 2008
Ultimate Goal: To be able to participate in the research culture of
the University and the science community at large
Science research is enhanced when students: Know what research has been done, and where the gaps
are in the existing literature Who is doing good work How they do it, what tools are they using How research is evaluated
OLA 2008
Framework
Outlined list of objectives for each session and related outcomes for the assignments
Designed collaborative assignments that coupled content with process
Pre-test/Post-test/evaluation
Student evaluation of the course content
OLA 2008
Tying Science Literacy to Information Literacy Scientific Method - Research Publication Cycle
Grey literature vs. Popular literature Primary / Research Secondary / Review Tertiary / Accepted theory, data, etc
Indexing and databases Resources and access Formal peer review vs. Informal evaluation Reading papers and Writing annotations
OLA 2008
Biology 3100 - assignments Assignments
In-class exercises – first and last class1. Comparing publication types2. Reading for information – what and how to read, writing
annotations – questions to ask Take Home assignments focused on topic development
through library research1. Scavenger hunt – orientation in the library2. General background information – tertiary literature –
locating/evaluating resources3. Identifying areas of interest – secondary literature4. Developing a research strategy – primary literature5. Evaluating research using citation information –
researching a researcher6. Reading skills and writing annotations
OLA 2008
Biology 3100 – Skills Learned Technology skills introduced and practised:
Library catalogue/Library resources Moodle Biological Abstracts Web of Science Gov Docs searching RefWorks / RefShare / RefGrabIt / WriteNCite
Soft skills mastered for informed searching: Evaluating publication types and sources Refining and broadening concepts and searches Using citation data to evaluate articles
All the basic skills they will need to conduct research for their honours level research thesis
OLA 2008
Pre-test/post-test – basic Qs
IL Training Test Results
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Question number
Perc
ent c
orre
ct
OLA 2008
Student perception of learning outcomes
0
1
6
14 14
0
1
4
17
13
0 0
6
13
16
0
2
6
12
15
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
1 2 3 4 5
Strongly disagree………………………...strongly agree
# of
resp
onde
nts
Understanding of research process
Transferability of knowledge
Resource knowledge
Formulating search strategies
OLA 2008
Student Perceptions of EvaluationStudent perceptions of evaluating publication types
0
2
8
14
11
1
2
6
16
10
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
1 2 3 4 5
Strongly disagree...strongly agree
# of
res
pond
ents
Understanding of publication cycleEvaluation of web sites
I now understand how and when it is appropriate to use Tertiary, Secondary and Primary literature in my course work.Yes 89% No 11%
OLA 2008
Effect of sessions on resource selection
29
25
18
7
1213
5
13
29
16
13
34
3029
22
31
13 13
16
29
19
26
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
LC1 SL1 BA1 BRG1 WoS1 Med1 Gov1 GL1 Goo GooS RW1
Resource
# of
resp
onde
nts
Before Af ter
OLA 2008
Student perceptions of the value of assignments
2
9
12
6 6
2
3
13
11
6
4
7
11
9
4
3
1
15
12
44 4
9
13
5
2
4
12 12
5
2
4
12 12
5
2
4
12 12
5
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
1 2 3 4 5Low value………………………………………………..…………High value
# of
resp
onde
nts
Article comparison
Library scavenger hunt
Gathering tertiary information
Searching Biological Abstracts
Formulating search strategies
Web of Science citation searching
Researching a researcher
Writing annotations
OLA 2008
Faculty feedback
“I hope this year's BIOL 3100 offering can be utilized by librarians to widely advertise and highlight the teaching and research resources librarians have to offer to course curriculum.
This course would have been much less useful if not for the time and resources the librarian had to offer to the course.”
OLA 2008
More Faculty feedback
“The class average to date, without considering Assignment 3 - Web of Science and annotated bibliography - is a
The Chair of the Biology Department also mentioned to me that she has heard good things from students about the course! “
79%
OLA 2008
Integration into 1st Year Biology
First Term: All 1st year students received “Publication Cycle” lecture Final exam had 4 library related questions
Second Term: All 1st year students will have a “dry lab” replaced by a hands-on IL session in a computer lab Lab report will focus on process of library
research
OLA 2008
We Need to Make a Difference “This is not the time for academic librarians to be
timid or to wait patiently for new developments. On the contrary, it is time for them to become aggressive and dynamic participants in the campus community’s teaching, learning and research agendas. They must share their information expertise with their campus community and build productive partnerships with teaching faculty.”
Rader, Hannelore B. (2004) Building faculty-librarian partnerships to prepare students for information fluency: the time for sharing information expertise is now. College & Research Libraries News, 65 (2), pp. 76.
OLA 2008
Inside Out: Inside Out: Library Services at Library Services at
Point of NeedPoint of NeedLearning Learning from from each other!each other!
LIBRARY
OLA 2008
BibliographyCruickshank, John, & Nowak, David G. (2001) Marketing reference resources and
services through a university outreach program. The Reference Librarian, 73, 265-280.
Donham, Jean (2004) Developing a culture of collaboration: librarian as consultant. Jourhal of Academic Librarianship, 30 (4), 320.
Ducas, Ada M. (2004) Toward a new venture: building partnerships with faculty. College & Research Libraries, 65 (4), 334-348.
Giustini, Dean (2007) Web 3.0 and medicine. BMJ, 335, 1273-1274. Hisle, W. Lee (2002) Top issues facing academic libraries: a report of the Focus on the
Future Task Force. College & Research Libraries News, 63 (10), 714-715, 730.Jankowska, Maria Anna (2004) Identifying university professors’ information needs in the
challenging environment of information and communication technologies. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 30 (1), 51-66.
Lee, Jennifer, Hayden, K. Alix, & MacMillan, Don (2004) “I wouldn’t have asked for help if I had to go to the library”: reference services on site. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, 41 (Fall).Retrieved online: www.istl.org/04-fall/article2.html
OLA 2008
BibliographyNelson, Megan S. (2007) Initiating engineering outreach reference services:
background and practice. Reference Services Review, 35 (2), 265-284.OCLC (2005) Perceptions of libraries and information resources.
www.oclc.org/reports/2005perceptions.htmOCLC (2006) College students’ perceptions of library and information
resources. www.oclc.org/reports/pdfs/studentperceptions.pdfRader, Hannelore B. (2004) Building faculty-librarian partnerships to prepare
students for information fluency: the time for sharing information expertise is now. College & Research Libraries News, 65 (2), 74-76, 80, 83, 90.
Raish, Martin H. (2003). Musings, meanderings, and monsters too: essays on academic librarianship. Lanham, Md.: The Scarecrow Press.
Ramsay, Karen M., & Kinnie, Jim (2006) The embedded librarian. Library Journal, 131 (6), 34-35.
Westbrook, Lynn, & Waldman, Robert (1993) Outreach in academic libraries: principle into practice. Research Strategies, 11 (2), 60-65.