Library and Information Science Commons^™

Learning To Learn: Embedding Peer Support As A Core Learning Skill At Third Level, Gerard Ryder, Philip Russell

Conference Papers

This paper presents an overview of the Peer Learning Support Programme which has been developed by Mechanical Engineering staff and librarians at the Institute of Technology Tallaght in support of the Institute's Learning to Learn at Third Level module.

Going The Distance: Best Practices In Designing And Sharing Reusable Learning Objects, Philip Russell

Conference Papers

This paper presents an overview of the suite of online interactive tutorials that have been developed at the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT Dublin); with a particular emphasis on best practices for pedagogy and instructional design in terms of creating eLearning tools. The author also details how these learning objects have been made available for reuse on a national and international basis as open educational resources via online repositories.

Seminar Report: Demonstrating The Value Of Information Literacy To Staff And Students, Philip Russell

Conference Papers

In June 2014, the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT Dublin), South Dublin County, Republic of Ireland, held a one day national seminar on information literacy (IL) – ‘Demonstrating the Value of Information Literacy to Staff and Students’. This was one of the first IL seminars in Ireland that included speakers and representatives from all sectors: the educational sector (second and third level), community organisations, and industry. The event was funded by the recently formed National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in Ireland. The aim of the seminar was to help staff to develop the …

“If You Build It, They Will Use: Creating And Sharing Open Educational Resources To Advance Information Literacy”, Philip Russell

Conference Papers

Since 2010, the library at the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT Dublin) in South County Dublin, Republic of Ireland, has been developing a suite of interactive online information literacy tutorials covering research, referencing, plagiarism and core academic skills. These open educational resources (OERs) provide users with a vibrant, challenging learning environment and facilitate flexible, 24/7, independent learning. The learning objects are accessible via multiple delivery platforms and are available for reuse under Creative Commons licence via national and international teaching and learning repositories.

This paper outlines the development of these OERs and how the creation of these learning tools has …

Creating And Sharing Information Literacy Open Educational Resources, Philip Russell

Conference Papers

From June 2010 until the present, a suite of online reusable learning objects (RLOs) has been created at the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT Dublin) library covering a range of information literacy (IL) competencies. These RLOs have helped to facilitate student transition from second to third level, advance IL and enrich the student learning experience. The paper outlines the development of these resources, how these learning objects have been integrated into academic modules at ITT Dublin and how they have been shared and reused as open educational resources at national and international level. The author also discusses future plans for …

Creating, Sharing And Reusing Learning Objects To Enhance Information Literacy, Philip Russell, Gerard Ryder, Gillian Kerins, Margaret Phelan

Articles

From June 2010 until the present, a suite of online reusable learning objects (RLOs) has been created by staff at the Technological University Dublin (ITT Dublin) library covering a range of information literacy (IL) competencies. These RLOs have helped to facilitate student transition from second to third level, advance IL and enrich the student learning experience. The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of these RLOs and how the resources have been shared, reused and repurposed to enhance IL progression. A review of recent literature explores some of the key issues around the creation of digital learning …

The Irish Information Literacy Project: The Gradual Building Of A National Policy For Information Literacy, Philip Russell, Jerald Cavanagh Lit

Conference Papers

In recent years, the Republic of Ireland has witnessed a growth in information literacy (IL), with its importance recognised in independent and lifelong learning; there have also been some key developments which have helped to raise the profile of IL and facilitated a more coherent national approach to IL development (O’Brien & Russell, 2012). Despite this progress, there is a lack of an integrated approach for information literacy development and there still exists no unified national strategy for IL, either sectorally or cross-sectorally and IL “has not been recognised as such at the highest political level [in] Ireland” (Webber & …

A Performance Analysis Of Ws-* (Soap) And Restful Web Services For Implementing Service And Resource Orientated Architectures, Philip Markey, Gary Clynch

Conference Papers

The past number of years have seen the emergence of Service-Oriented Architectures as a dominant architecture for implementing enterprise scale distributed systems. Two main styles of SOA exist, namely SOAP based services and RESTful services. There has been much comment and debate on the pros and cons of each approach to implementing a SOA, a lot of which has surrounded the performance characterictcs of both approaches. In this paper, the authors presents the results of a performance analysis that was conducted on a set of test SOA scenarios implemented using both SOAP and RESTful approaches; in particular the caching capabilities …

Reusable Learning Objects At Itt Dublin: Developing, Sharing And Reusing, Philip Russell

Other Resources

Provides an overview of the development of online tutorials at ITT Dublin with a focus on the instructional design using the eLearning software (Articulate Studio). There is a discussion on the integration of these learning objects into the Institutional VLE (Moodle) and the range of evaluative mechanisms are also highlighted.

The author discusses how these tutorials have been shared and adapted for reuse by other Irish higher education institutions.

Developing Reusable Learning Objects At Itt Dublin Via The Irish National Digital Learning Repository, Philip Russell, Gerry Ryder, Gillian Kerins

Other Resources

During a two year period commencing from June 2010 until the present, a suite of online reusable learning objects (RLOs) have been created at ITT Dublin library covering a range of information literacy competencies.

This poster will outline the development of RLOs at ITT Dublin and how these resources have been shared, reused and repurposed to enhance information literacy progression. The article will focus on best practices and lessons learned during the design, development, and implementation process including the pedagogical approach, application of the software and the collaborative working arrangements that the digital learning resources have helped to foster.

Selection And Acquisition Of E-Books In Irish Institutes Of Technology Libraries: A Study, Wanda Carin, Lucy Tedd

Articles

Purpose: To report on a study of the acquisition of e-books in libraries in Institutes of Technology (ITs) in Ireland undertaken in 2009. Methodology: Websites of the libraries of the 15 ITs were studied and this was followed by telephone interviews, using a structured set of questions, with the acquisition librarians. Details are provided of the e-book suppliers used, reasons for acquiring (and not acquiring) e-books, links with Virtual Learning Environments and methods of promotion. Findings: Librarians from 12 of the 15 ITs agreed to be interviewed giving a response rate of 80%. The ITs are using e-books from a …

The Irish ‘Working Group On Information Literacy’ E Edging Towards A National Policy, Terry O'Brien, Philip Russell

Articles

The authors of this paper provide an overview of the activities of the Irish Working Group on Information Literacy (WGIL) and its role in advancing a national policy for information literacy in the Republic of Ireland. The study focuses on the work of the group during its lifetime including the various activities, marketing and advocacy initiatives and some of the challenges and issues the group faced, in particular, the diversity of the Irish library and information sector and the lack of an integrated approach for information literacy development. The study presents the findings of the report produced by WGIL entitled …

Information Literacy Developments @ Itt Dublin, Philip Russell

Other Resources

Provides an overview of information literacy activity at ITT Dublin; the approaches taken including blended and online learning and some of the issues and challenges involved in delivering information literacy training. There is also a discussion on use of new technologies to enhance information literacy progression.

The Evolution Of An Embedded Information Literacy Module: Using Student Feedback And The Research Literature To Improve Student Performance, Allison Kavanagh

Articles

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and evolution of the embedded information literacy (IL) module for first year BSc in Marketing students in Technological University Dublin (DIT) over a three year period between 2007-8 and 2009-10. It describes the pedagogical theories underlining the teaching and assessment of the course in its original format, the reflective practice in which the library team engaged, and the subsequent changes made to the teaching and assessment of the course, informed by the research literature. The study uses performance in the assessment task, student feedback drawn from survey questionnaires and a …

Accommodating Employees With Disabilities: Perceptions Of Irish Academic Library Managers, Anne-Marie O'Neill, Christine Urquhart

Articles

In recent years a significant amount of the literature in the field of librarianship has focused on providing greater access to library facilities to clients with disabilities. There has been constructive debate about accessible buildings, ergonomic design of library facilities, and assistive technologies; but, what of individual people with disabilities who wish to work in libraries? Does the concern for accessibility extend to their employment in the library workplace? What is happening in Irish academic libraries to accommodate them in their employment and achieve equality of opportunities?

Attitudes Of Health Professionals To Electronic Data Sharing Within An Integrated Care Electronic Health Record (Icehr), Charyl O'Malley, Damon Berry, Mary Sharp

Conference Papers

It is estimated that 98,000 people die in hospitals yearly in the USA as a result of medical errors (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2009). Electronic Health Records (EHR) can offer improved patient safety. EHRs are being implemented by many countries, however, not all health professionals have welcomed them (MORI Social Research Institute, 2006). As outlined in the National Health Information Strategy (NHIS) document, Ireland has plans to introduce an EHR. Attitudes of health professionals are a significant factor for the successful implementation and adoption of a new clinical information system. This study aimed to gauge the attitude of …

Measuring Up: The Experience Of Libqual+™ At Itt Dublin Library, Philip Russell

Articles

This article provides an outline of the LibQUAL+™ web-based survey conducted in 2009 at ITT (Technological University Dublin) Dublin library, capturing some of the main findings, feedback from those who participated, lessons learnt and proposed future actions. The library service at ITT Dublin is committed to enhancing quality, and part of this process involves communicating and engaging with our users to determine their requirements and respond to their ongoing needs. In March 2009, asa part of our efforts in providing a more customer- focused and improved library service, the library at ITT Dublin carried out an online library user survey, …

Researcher Suite: Selection And Implementation – The Hosted Option, Niamh Walker-Headon

Articles

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of the selection process used to select the ReSearcher Suite, and its implementation including an outline of why and how the suite was implemented at the Library in the Institute of Technology in Tallaght.

Design/methodology/approach – Case study – single site.

Findings – The Simon Frasier University (SFU) hosted ReSearcher Suite (with support) provides an open source solution for open URL linking integrated with inter-library loan submission, federated searching, knowledge base, coverage data, and A-Z listings for journals and databases. While it does not have the full …

Changing Times: The Changing Role Of Assistant Librarians In Dit's Aungier St. Library, Allison Kavanagh

Articles

An examination of the changing role of subject librarians at Technological University Dublin's Aungier St library.

The Irish Working Group On Information Literacy (Wgil), Part Ii: Report Of Cross-Sector Activity 2006–2008 And Recommendations For Action, Philip Russell, Terry O'Brien

Articles

In 2006, the Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Working Group on Information Literacy (WGIL) was established with an agreed role to ‘recommend strategies for the development of information skills education at both theoretical and practical level in the library and information services sector in Ireland’. A two-year review of current information literacy activity in the Republic of Ireland by WGIL culminated in the completion of a cross-sectoral report which provides a snapshot of information literacy in a number of library and information services sectors in Ireland (academic and special libraries sector, schools, public, health, government and related libraries sector). To …

Information Literacy Support For Off-Campus Students By Academic Libraries In The Republic Of Ireland, Philip Russell

Articles

This study investigates the perceptions of academic librarians to the development and delivery of information literacy support programmes for off-campus students.

Methodology / approach: The approach was predominantly quantitative, with a self completed questionnaire being designed and disseminated to a purposive sample of academic librarians in Ireland with responsibility for information literacy development at their institution, to determine their approach in supporting off-campus students, and how this relates to their role in developing information literacy. The questionnaire also examines current practice in terms of library teaching methods and library support for remote students. Institutions chosen were from the university and …

A Study On The Use Of Ontologies To Represent Collective Knowledge, John Mcauley

Masters

The development of ontologies has become an area of considerable research interest over the past number of years. Domain ontologies are often developed to represent a shared understanding that in turn indicates cooperative effort by a user community. However, the structure and form that an ontology takes is predicated both on the approach of the developer and the cooperation of the user community. A shift has taken place in recent years from the use of highly specialised and expressive ontologies to simpler knowledge models, progressively developed by community contribution. It is within this context that this thesis investigates the use …

Task-Based Mood Induction Procedures For The Elicitation Of Natural Emotional Responses., Brian Vaughan, Charlie Cullen, Spyros Kousidis, Yi Wang

Other resources

This paper details experimental procedures designed to elicit real emotional responses from participants within a controlled acoustic environment. The experiments use Mood Induction Procedures (MIP’s), specifically MIP 4, to implement a co-operative task using two participants. These cooperative tasks are designed to engender emotional responses of activation and evaluation from the participants who are situated in separate isolation booths, thus reducing unwanted noise in the signal, preventing the participants from being distracted and ensuring a cleanly recorded audio signal. The audio is recorded at a professional level of quality (24bit/192Khz). The emotional dimensions of each audio recording will be evaluated …

The Irish Working Group On Information Literacy: A Cross-Sectoral Approach, Philip Russell, Terry O'Brien

Articles

The Working Group on Information Literacy (WGIL) was established by the Library Association of Ireland (LAI) in January 2006 to recommend strategies for the development of information skills at both a theoretical and practical level in the Library and Information Services sector in Ireland.

From the outset, one of the key objectives established was that the work of the WGIL would be approached on a cross-sectoral basis.

Membership of the group comprises ten members from across the range of LIS (Library and Information Services) sectors in Ireland. These include academic, special, schools, public, health and university sectors, and also a …

Indexing Change In Lis Work: Implications For Recruiting Managers, John Cullen, Allison Kavanagh

Articles

Purpose: This paper reports on three periods of library and information service (LIS) recruitment data collected over a six-year timeframe with the aim of developing a tool for indexing change in the recruitment and labour market for workers in the field. Methodology / Approach: The recruitment data was collected in an Irish context over three distinct 12-month timeframes (1999, 2001-2002 and 2005). The two earlier annual sets of data have already been reported and discussed (the latter in Library Management in 2004a), and the most recent set (2005) is presented here. The data over the three timeframes is compared here, …

Information Seeking And Students Studying For Professional Careers: The Cases Of Enginerering And Law Students In Ireland, Gillian Kerins, Ronan Madden, Crystal Fulton

Articles

This paper reports the results of two empirical studies which explored the information seeking behaviour of engineering and law students in Ireland. Findings reveal similar patterns in the information seeking behaviour between students studying to become professionals and information seeking patterns of these groups identified in the Leckie et al. model. Students learned their information seeking strategies, including effective and less effective approaches, from educators. Mis-perceptions of the role and value of libraries and information professionals in their studies were common, and as a result, students often adopted information seeking strategies that excluded libraries and library staff. The two studies …