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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Libraries

Information Literacy

Series

University of Vermont

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Why Some Students Continue To Value Individual, Face-To-Face Research Consultations In A Technology-Rich World, Trina J. Magi, Patricia E. Mardeusz Nov 2013

Why Some Students Continue To Value Individual, Face-To-Face Research Consultations In A Technology-Rich World, Trina J. Magi, Patricia E. Mardeusz

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

For decades, academic librarians have provided individual research consultations for students. There is little information, however, about why students schedule consultations, the kinds of assistance students feel are provided by librarians during consultations, and what students find valuable about face-to-face consultations, even with the availability of online research help. This exploratory, qualitative study of individual research consultations at the University of Vermont gathered students’ views on these questions. The findings will help librarians better understand how individual consultations serve students and what role consultations should play in the mix of reference services offered.


What Students Need From Reference Librarians: Exploring The Complexity Of The Individual Consultation, Trina J. Magi, Patricia E. Mardeusz Jun 2013

What Students Need From Reference Librarians: Exploring The Complexity Of The Individual Consultation, Trina J. Magi, Patricia E. Mardeusz

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

The article reports on an exploratory study that identified the skills used by reference librarians during individual research consultations with undergraduate and graduate students in a wide range of disciplines. The skills fell into eight categories. As expected, librarians needed knowledge about information sources and their effective use, but the project revealed that consultations often involve higher-order skills, as well, such as knowing how to approach and organize the research endeavor, shaping a topic appropriate for the scope of a project, making connections among various pieces of information and applying them to the problem at hand, and identifying alternative research …


What's Best For Students: Comparing The Effectiveness Of A Traditional Print Pathfinder And A Web-Based Research Tool, Trina J. Magi Oct 2003

What's Best For Students: Comparing The Effectiveness Of A Traditional Print Pathfinder And A Web-Based Research Tool, Trina J. Magi

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

This quantitative study compared a print pathfinder and a web-based research tool in library instruction for two sections of a first-year business course. The traditional print pathfinder received higher ratings on use, ease of use, and helpfulness, but both tools resulted in students citing a similar number of recommended sources.