Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Migration As Catalyst For Organizational Change In Technical Services, Geraldine Rinna, Marianne Swierenga

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

This article describes the changes within the Western Michigan University Libraries Technical Services Department during a five-year period from 2012 to 2017, which involved a reorganization of staff and the migration to Alma/Primo, Ex Libris’ next-generation library management system and discovery solution. The aim of this case study is to understand the role these two significant events played in the transformation of the department.

Using Robot Animal Companions In The Academic Library To Mitigate Student Stress, Autumn P. Edwards, Chad Edwards, Bryan Abendschein, Juliana Espinosa, Jonathan Scherger, Patricia Fravel Vander Meer

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

The purpose of this paper is to interrogate the relationship between self-reported levels of acute stress, perceived social support, and interactions with robot animals in an academic library. The authors hypothesized: 1. participants would report lower stress and higher positive affect after their interaction with a robot support animal; 2. perceived supportiveness of the robot support animal would positively predict the amount of stress reduction the participants reported.

The authors hosted a robot petting zoo in the main library at a large Midwestern university during finals week. Participants were asked to rate their stress level prior to interacting with the …

Arts À La Carte, Marianne Swierenga, Susan Steuer, Michael J. Duffy Iv

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Instructions on how to create a series of events to bring music, art, creative writing, and dance into the library, fostering an open, dynamic, and creatively charged library atmosphere.

From Service Role To Partnership: Faculty Voices On Collaboration With Librarians, Maria A. Perez-Stable, Judith M. Arnold, Lumarie Guth, Patricia F. Vander Meer

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Librarians at two research universities surveyed faculty practices and views about collaboration with librarians to gain insight into likely partners and strategies for information literacy (IL) instruction. Quantitative data on methods of collaboration revealed the most often-practiced method of working together was having a librarian deliver an instruction session, followed by developing an online course guide. Statistical differences by disciplinary area and years teaching were examined; experienced faculty reported a greater range of collaboration methods. Thematic analysis of open-ended responses on motives for collaboration, a factor less frequently studied, found the top reason was to improve student IL skills, followed …