Library and Information Science Commons^™

Task Force On Textbook Affordability Final Report, Marian Taliaferro, Paul D. Heideman, Asia Randolph

W&M Libraries Publications

Costs of textbooks and course materials for undergraduates are estimated nationally at up to $1200 per student per year. With that estimate, the aggregate costs for William & Mary’s 6250 undergraduates may approach $7.5 million per year; graduate students may add $1-2 million to that total. Course books and materials increase costs of college attendance, and for some students are barriers to success. The Textbook Affordability Taskforce (TATF) composed of W&M faculty, staff, and students was formed in August 2019. The TATF was charged with examining the issue of textbook affordability and with developing and delivering near-term and long-term recommendations …

W&M Student Textbook Survey Executive Summary, Marian Taliaferro, Asia Randolph, Jessica Ramey

W&M Libraries Publications

Presents key findings from the textbook survey. The main objectives for issuing the textbook survey in fall 2019 were to understand the textbook spending practices as well as related preferences of W&M students so that the campus administrators would have information useful for programs designed to increase course materials affordability. Specifically, survey objectives were to:

• Understand current costs of textbooks and course materials for W&M students

• Understand methods W&M students take to lower textbook costs

• Understand the viability of implementing an “inclusive access” textbook pilot

• Identify student suggestions for reducing textbook costs

William & Mary Faculty Listening Tour Executive Summary, Marian Taliaferro, Asia Randolph, Jessica Ramey

W&M Libraries Publications

In fall 2019, William & Mary Libraries embarked on a concerted effort to learn more about course materials adopted on its campus. In order to perform an environmental scan, staff from the libraries participated in several activities: administering a student survey, conducting a series of faculty focus groups and running a cross-campus task force on textbook affordability. This document explains the faculty focus group activity known as the “textbook listening tour.”

The listening tour was structured largely based on an earlier effort that took place at Temple University Libraries. Bell & Johnson (2019) used the tour as an opportunity to …

William & Mary Student Textbook Survey, Marian Taliaferro, Asia Randolph, Jessica Ramey

W&M Libraries Publications

In Fall, 2019 W&M libraries disseminated a survey to all W&M students in order to understand their textbook spending practices so that the campus administrators would have information useful for programs designed to increase course materials affordability. The objectives of the survey were as follows.

Objective 1: Understand current costs of textbooks for W&M students.

Objective 2: Understand methods W&M students take to lower textbook costs.

Objective 3: Understand potential impact of implementing cost saving measures.

Objective 4: Understand options that W&M students might consider to lower the cost of textbooks.

Faculty Writing Retreats In The Library: Creative Approaches To Relationship Building, Lisa T. Nickel, Tami Back

W&M Libraries Publications

Have you ever thought, “If I had some uninterrupted time to write, I could get so much done!”?

At William & Mary Libraries, we often feel this way, and we hear from our teaching faculty colleagues that they feel the same. But can this common challenge present a unique opportunity? Can we, as a library, fill this need, and in turn, accomplish our goals of building relationships and connections with faculty? We determined that we can. As we consider time-intensive library events, partnerships, and outreach, we have learned that focusing on high-impact relationship-building opportunities is the best way …

Educational Technology Leadership And Practice In Higher Education: The Emergence Of Threshold Concepts, Adam Barger

W&M Libraries Publications

Navigating the world of educational technology in higher education environments is an increasingly rewarding, yet challenging, endeavor. What must leaders know in order to thrive in the ever-changing space of educational technology? How can leaders and practitioners alike excel in cultivating and utilizing powerful educational technology applications, tools, and resources? In this blog, I explore these questions through the lens of threshold concepts as applied to technology in higher education teaching and learning. I propose three threshold concepts in our field, discuss their prevalence at the 2017 ELI Annual Meeting, and suggest their implications for leadership and practice.

Factors Contributing To The Use Of Computer-Based Information Systems In Student Services, Genene Marie Demaio

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine what factors facilitate and what factors inhibit computer use in the Student Affairs Divisions of James Madison University (JMU), Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI), and Mary Washington College (MWC).;The population for this study was student affairs officials and related personnel deliberately selected from three Virginia public institutions.;The following conclusions were drawn from the findings of this study. (1) MWC is in the beginning stages of automation, JMU is moving in the direction of state-of-art technology while VPI's current status has reached the level regarded as state-of-art. (2) The status of CBISs at MWC, …