Education Commons^™

Creating An Index To Graduate Theses To Support Their Discoverability, Ellen Petraits

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

As a Research and Instruction Librarian, one of the most frequent questions I'm asked is how to find past theses on a particular topic or theme. There is an active thesis culture at RISD that goes beyond writing and binding a text. An exhibition is held in the graduate gallery to celebrate a curated selection of theses at the beginning of the academic year. (See Book of Thesis Books) Theses can range in format from an artist book to a loose-leaf portfolio. Many emphasize the visual and are a bridge to the student’s studio work. They may include unusual or …

You’Re Invited! Collaborating With Faculty And Students To Create A Successful Library Event, Laura Semrau

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

To celebrate the 400^th anniversary of the printing of Shakespeare’s First Folio, the Baylor University Libraries hosted a three-day celebration; “Shakespeare 400” drew faculty members from six academic departments and leveraged the talents of both graduate and undergraduate students. The four main events drew a cumulative crowd of over 200 people. Graduate students contributed to the events through music performance, a dramatic reading, enthusiastic promotion, and engaged participation. This presentation will explore key take-aways for including graduate students in library events.

The success of Shakespeare 400 was largely due to collaborations between the library, faculty members, and graduate …

Help Or Hype? Assessing Digital Literature Review Tools For Graduate Students, Jessica Hagman, Nikki Tummon, Catherine Bowers

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

A core role for academic librarians is to support early career researchers as they develop an increasingly focused understanding of the literature in their discipline and research area in order to contribute to the development of new knowledge. Graduate students use their knowledge of the literature to develop research questions and argue for the value of their work to the broader community of scholars.

This task is both intellectually and technically challenging. A dissertation or thesis requires that students demonstrate knowledge of their field as well as cite perhaps hundreds of sources. This process has long been supported by tools …

Gateway To The University Community: Building An In-Person Toolkit For Graduate Teaching Assistants, Sojourna Cunningham, Alison Edwards

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Library instruction programs can provide excellent support for faculty courses and do a great job of supporting graduate students with their research and publishing process, but for many graduate students, researching is only part of their role - and likely the role they have the most support for. Large research intensive universities rely heavily on graduate teaching assistants to support or teach high-enrollment or introductory level courses to undergraduate students, but effective teaching requires training, practice, and a network of support. In addition to uneven access to preparation for their teaching roles, graduate students are often new to the university, …

Publishing As Hidden Curriculum: How Learning To Publish Is A Piecemeal Process For Graduate Students, Martha Stuit, Christy Caldwell, Lucia Orlando

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

This presentation will share the results of a survey on what and how graduate students learn about the publishing process at an R1 university. This presentation will build on an earlier poster about our study, called “Making the Publishing Process More Transparent: Identifying a Baseline for Publishing Support through Researching Gaps between Graduate Students and Their Faculty Advisors’ Support,” at Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students (TLGS) 2022 (Stuit 2022). That poster covered our methods, literature review, and research questions. This full-length presentation will cover our findings and takeaways that other librarians may use in their work with graduate students.

Faculty …

Teaching A Credit-Bearing Library Course For Graduate Students: From Proposal To Postmortem, Jill Cirasella

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

For years, library faculty at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York had fantasized about some day offering a credit-bearing course to our master’s and doctoral students. In 2021, we finally transitioned from idle dreams to directed discussion. As we explored how to get a library course on the books at an institution that had never before had one, we had to rethink and rework our plans several times, in unexpected but not unreasonable ways.

For example, we had believed that a one-credit course would be most appropriate—and most palatable to the institution—but we learned that only …

Accessing The Intangible: An Exploratory Qualitative Study Of How Pivotal Sources Affect Doctoral Students’ Research Thinking, Kelly Hangauer

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Information behavior (IB) is the study of how “individuals perceive, seek, understand, and use information in various life contexts” (Case & Given, 2012, p. 3). One component of IB—information seeking—was popularized by Carol Kuhlthau in the 1980s when she integrated the cognitive, affective, and physical acts involved in conducting a library-based research assignment. In her studies with high-schoolers and later with undergraduates, Kuhlthau developed the information search process (ISP) model. Since then, librarians have continued to draw on the ISP model and conduct information-seeking studies so that libraries may recognize “zones of intervention,” optimize the organization of library resources, and …

Building A Graduate Research Exhibits Program In An Academic Library, Alyssa Wright, Sally Brown

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

This session will describe West Virginia University Libraries’ annual Graduate Student Exhibits Award. The award, managed by our Art in the Libraries Committee, invites current graduate students to submit ideas for an exhibit to visually showcase their scholarship in new and experimental ways. These can present a visual evolution of their work, visualize their research and influences, or answer a research question. Graduate student proposals can be based on academic or creative research and lend themselves to visual interpretation with Library consultation. Awards include a $500 prize and help with design, installation, promotion, and coordination of a public program, offering …

Does Anyone Have Any Questions? Encouraging Question-Asking Behaviors In Online And In-Person Graduate Student & Faculty Workshops, Hannah Gascho Rempel, Adam Lindsley, Clara Llebot

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Academic libraries frequently offer workshops to graduate students and faculty as a way to develop their information literacy skills, including building skills with citation managers, literature review searching, and data management. In many academic libraries in-person delivery of workshops was the norm prior to the COVID-19 global pandemic, but during the pandemic online workshops were the only option. Workshop participants now appreciate being able to choose between the modality that works for them. In our library, we now regularly offer most workshops in both in-person and synchronous online modalities. This change in how we offer workshops allows us the opportunity …

Teaching Students To Read Regression Results: A Statistical Literacy Lesson Plan For Librarians, Giovanna Badia

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Descriptive and inferential statistics are taught to students in many disciplines. More classroom time is often spent on the theory behind different statistical methods that investigate relationships between variables rather than on how to interpret the results obtained to answer the research question that started the process. While statistical software (such as R, Stata, and SPSS) has made it easier to undertake regression with any dataset, the output produced remains challenging to understand and explain to intended audiences. To address this issue, the author created a 90-minute workshop that teaches students how to read tables of descriptive statistics and linear …

Supporting Graduate Students Conducting Human Subject Research, Jay-Marie Bravent

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Current events and research trends related to COVID, climate change, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, mental health, social justice, as well as other public health and social issues have heightened the need and demand for human subject research projects across all disciplines, including librarianship. Librarians and archivists serving at all types of repositories, including government, public libraries, local museums and cultural institutions, historical societies, corporate libraries, hospitals, or universities, have a crucial stake in collecting and preserving materials that support this current scholarship. Graduate students and new professional librarians and archivists need to be trained and prepared to serve as …

Making Scholarly Publishing Work For You: Empowering Graduate Students To Understand The Scholarly Publishing Ecosystem Through A Graduate Academy Seminar, Haley Walton, Liz Milewicz, Will Shaw, Paolo Mangiafico, Kate Dickson

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Understanding the landscape of scholarly publishing is an essential competency for graduate students, whether they publish during their studies or after they’ve entered their professional fields. But the scholarly publishing ecosystem can be complicated to navigate, and students cannot always rely on their advisors and colleagues to demystify the processes. To help graduate students achieve their goals when sharing their research, the ScholarWorks Center for Scholarly Publishing at the Duke University Libraries (https://scholarworks.duke.edu/) taught “Navigating Scholarly Publishing,” a five-day, interdisciplinary course introducing essential aspects of scholarly communication and empowering students to make informed, proactive decisions about sharing their …

Graduate Student’S Productivity Tools For Literature Review Research And Writing In The Age Of Ai, Carmen Orth-Alfie, Paul Thomas

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

In the fast-evolving world of academia, it is not hyperbole to say that generative AI and algorithm-based productivity tools like ChatGPT, Research Rabbit, and LitMap are quickly becoming transformative forces, reshaping the way graduate students (among many groups) approach the research and writing of thesis/dissertation literature reviews. But while the plethora of possibilities engendered by generative productivity tools is in many ways remarkable, the technology itself can often be overwhelming—not only for the graduate students, but also for us as librarians and information professionals supporting independent researchers from any discipline. Indeed, the ever-growing number of AI tools on the market …

Follow The Leader: Empowering Graduate Book Club Leaders Within Edi Conversations, Amy Dye-Reeves

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

The poster will focus on multiple case studies from 2020 to 2023, ranging in interdisciplinary topics to highlight all lesser-known historical and contemporary women of color and ethnicity at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Each term, faculty members select graduate students within the Education Psychology and Leadership program. The elected four members were part of the graduate reader advisory book group. The group helped establish speakers, created discussion questions for the larger and break-out Zoom rooms, co-planned the weekly agenda for the monthly program, and helped connect with local and global partnerships. Each graduate facilitator gained experience in all …

Preparing For Tenure And Promotion: Advice From Some Survivors, Rachel Mcmullin, Danielle Skaggs

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Whether you are a brand new librarian or have years of prior experience, becoming a tenure-track librarian is scary. You have to juggle scholarship and service with learning a new job. Throw in a strict timeline with a big portfolio due at the end, and the pressure can feel overwhelming. In this presentation, we will offer concrete advice to help librarians navigate the tenure and promotion process from beginning to end. As the tenure/promotion process can vary greatly from institution to institution, we will try to focus on advice that can be universally applied, like finding and carefully reading the …

Scholarly Communications For Librarians: Developing A Mentoring Program To Support Tenure-Track Library Faculty, Anna R. Craft

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Many academic libraries are increasingly called upon to support and provide training and instruction to graduate students on scholarly communications issues such as open access, copyright, research data, identifying legitimate versus predatory publishing opportunities, and related topics. Many of these areas align with needs librarians face in their own work, especially for those whose jobs offer opportunities (or requirements) to participate in tenure and promotion processes. In order to meet their own professional development and career needs while also preparing to support the specialized needs of graduate students, librarians must keep abreast of the changing scholarly communications landscape and seek …

Ready For It? Training Library School Graduate Students To Provide Reference Services, Sandy Hervieux

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

While Master of Library and Information Science programs provide students with a space to explore many theoretical subjects, few opportunities for practical experience are offered. At a large research university in Canada, the Library has created a program to hire graduate students in Library and Information Science and train them to provide reference services. Students receive training on the reference interview, subject-specific tools, the virtual reference platform, and are expected to complete several hours of shadowing with experienced librarians. The program presents a unique occasion for students to not only receive formal training but to also benefit from informal mentorship …

Librarians As Mentors: A Student-Centered Approach To Graduate Training, Scott Libson, Chella Vaidyanathan, Erica Bruchko

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

A review of library science journals reveals a dearth of literature on the topic of professional mentorship services offered by academic librarians for graduate students in the humanities and social sciences. The literature that does exist tends to focus on library and information science or other professionally-oriented programs. Mentorship is crucial for the professional success of all categories of graduate students; yet, by focusing on one of these groups, we fail to recognize the shared challenges and unique needs of students across the spectrum of graduate education.

Academic librarians can play a critical role in helping all graduate students chart …

"I Have Not Been In School For Over Ten Years? Can You Help Me? Understanding And Developing Information Literacy Skills For Non-Traditional Graduate Students, Amy Dye-Reeves

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Studies by the United States Department of Education have shown that non-traditional students steadily grow within college campuses' enrollment rates. The National Center for Education Statistics defines that "most often age, especially over the age of 24 has been the defining characteristic for this population. The direct impact of social class (Bambe & Tett, 1999; Quinn, 2010), gender and age (Merrill, 2014), and ethnicity (Bron et al., 2014) on the individual academic lives of the students. The presenter used Tinto's (1987) interactionist quantitative theory to look at value-added to variables such as socioeconomic background, academic preparation, and achievement level based …

Beyond Misinformation: Educating Graduate Students About The Mischaracterization And Misappropriation Of Research, Winn W. Wasson

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

The contemporary information landscape has produced numerous incidents of researchers having their research misappropriated or mischaracterized—or worse, being subjected to intimidation and harassment—by individuals or groups who seek to cherry-pick evidence in support of ideological agendas or who wish to suppress evidence that counters those same agendas. While the COVID-19 pandemic has elevated these tactics in their frequency, visibility, and intensity, this phenomenon is by no means unique to the pandemic. Medievalists and Classicists have seen their research become politicized by white supremacists, and historians and archaeologists of ancient India have had to push back against religious nationalist narratives that …

Transforming The Publishing Academy: How Moving Online And Focusing On Diversity And Inclusion Made Scholarly Publishing Support More Accessible To Graduate Students, Lidiya Grote, Latisha Reynolds, Alex Howard

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Academic libraries frequently offer general research support services such as literature searching and citation management workshops for graduate students, however specific scholarly communications topics such as writing for an academic publication are less frequently addressed (Gannon-Leary & Bent, 2010; Perini & Calcagno, 2013). Support for scholarly publishing, data management and other scholarly communication topics are increasingly needed, and are the type of challenges with which librarians can assist. The University of Louisville Libraries in collaboration with the Graduate School offer a biennial, interdisciplinary, five-week publishing academy for graduate students.

The Publishing Academy is designed to introduce students to the scholarly …

Beyond The Ivory Tower: Supporting The Graduate Nonacademic Career Search Through Library Partnerships, Sarah Lane

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

For a variety of reasons, some graduate students ultimately determine that they would like to pursue a career outside of the ivory tower. At the same time, these scholars may be uncertain about how to translate their expertise into a nonacademic position. At Cornell University, a partnership between the Management Library and the Careers Beyond Academia office has allowed librarians to utilize their unique expertise to assist graduate students throughout their job search.

At the Management Library, business librarians have historically worked with the Career Management Center of the Johnson Graduate School of Management to assist MBA and graduate business …

New Professional Doctorate Program Offers New Opportunities For Embedded Librarianship With Policy Practitioners, Susie Skarl

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

As doctoral programs frequently evolve in large urban universities, how can liaison librarians best position themselves for outreach activities, teaching faculty/librarian partnerships, student engagement, information literacy instruction, and more?

At the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), the School of Public Policy and Leadership has developed a professional doctorate degree, Doctor of Public Policy (DPP), which is designed for individuals interested in developing skills in policymaking and policy implementation at all levels of government. “Completion of this degree will prepare students to conduct policy analysis, advocate for public policies and community-based solutions, or serve in decision-making positions.” (UNLV DPP Program, …

Striking A Balance: Evidence Synthesis Support For Graduate Students, Kelly Hangauer, Elizabeth Kline

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Evidence synthesis (ES) is the process of systematically collecting studies and synthesizing the findings using strict protocols and criteria. Common examples of ES include systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and scoping reviews. While ES has been commonplace in health sciences for many years, it has recently gained traction in non-health sciences fields such as the social sciences. In response to this growing trend, the IMLS-funded Evidence Synthesis Institute was created to offer librarians in-depth training on how to best provide ES support to disciplines outside the health sciences.

This presentation draws on the insights of two liaison librarians who work at public …

How Graduate Student Fellows Enhance What A Center For Digital Scholarship Does, Ben B. Chiewphasa

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Multiple disciplines are increasingly embracing data science and digital scholarship. However, insufficient training for digital and computational methodologies within subject/departmental silos means that these needs often get overlooked. Opportunities for learning how to teach technical concepts (i.e., how to handle troubleshooting, live participatory coding, etc.) are also rare or non-existent via departmental offerings. To respond to these needs, the Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship launched its Pedagogy Fellowship Program in Fall 2021 where Notre Dame PhD students/candidates build their instructional expertise and experience related to digital scholarship with an added bonus of enhancing their competitiveness on the job market. …

Asking The Big Questions That Guide Small Decisions: Developing Academic Library Infrastructure In Support Of Graduate Students’ Qualitative Research, Jessica Hagman

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

A primary task of graduate education is developing students who are able to ask valuable questions and use systematic research methods to develop new knowledge. By the end of most graduate programs, students are expected to be able to plan, implement, and share the results of an independent research process and make new knowledge claims. As such, they learn to make - and justify - the many decisions embedded in the research process. Academic libraries support graduate students’ development into independent researchers by providing both collections materials and library services related to the research process.

In this presentation, we turn …

Transitioning To A Master's Degree Granting University: Implications For Librarian Instruction, Outreach, And Collection Development, Mary A. Aquila Ms., :Laken T. Smith Ms., Jennifer L. Wolfe Mrs.

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Athens State University is located in Athens, Alabama in the northern part of Alabama bordering Giles County, Tennessee. It is one of the only upper-level universities serving juniors, seniors, and graduate students in the country. The student body consists primarily of non-traditional and first-generation students. In 2014, Athens State University was approved to offer a graduate program in Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management in the College of Business by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE). Since then, Athens State University has expanded its graduate offerings to include five additional fields of study: Strategic Healthcare Management and Administration, Strategic …

Coaching The Dissertation: Hosting A 3 Day Intensive Workshop, Vandy Pacetti Donelson

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

For many students, the process of completing a dissertation stipulates a set of unfamiliar rules, unfamiliar schema, and a foreign field of play that can affect student resiliency. This presentation will describe a 3-day workshop event facilitated by the Robert Block Library in collaboration with full-time faculty to help scholars focus on their own research and writing to support their progress to completion. The workshop incorporated high impact communication practices incorporating the CASEL framework with a combination of panels, one-on-one sessions with faculty members and the research librarian and independent activities. Planning and preparation will be shared and insights covering …

Information Literacy Curriculum Mapping For Graduate Students, Jana Schellinger

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

This presentation describes the process used to develop and implement an information literacy curriculum for graduate programs at Emory & Henry College. When the library director was hired, she noted that students were graduating without having contact with the library and without building necessary information literacy skills. She began searching the literature for solutions and approaches. She synthesized the literature and, after identifying barriers, created a plan. Her team of librarians began by developing a curriculum map for information literacy skills at the undergraduate level. They envisioned Emory & Henry graduates, and the information literacy skills they should have. Based …

Creating A Support System For Online Graduate Students Learning New Software, Marisha C. Kelly

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

This poster outlines strategies for creating a support system for online graduate students learning new software. The Northcentral University (NCU) Library is a 100 percent online library providing services and delivering resources to students in a remote context. According to university facts and figures, approximately 98 percent of students are enrolled in a graduate program and nearly 69 percent of those students are pursuing a doctoral degree. In May 2019, a reference and instruction librarian developed a program to support graduate students learning how to use ProQuest RefWorks, a web-based research management tool. Elements of the program include synchronous options …