Library and Information Science Commons^™

Academic Libraries: Sustainability In Action, Marianne A. Buehler

Library Faculty Presentations

Faculty and Librarian Collaborations:
- Sustainability Across the Curriculum
- Sustainability Research
- Sustainable Activity
- Opportunities

Not On The Same Page: Undergraduates’ Information Retrieval In Electronic And Print Books, Selinda Adelle Berg, Kristin Hoffmann, Diane Dawson

Kristin Hoffmann

Academic libraries are increasingly collecting e-books, but little research has investigated how students use e-books compared to print texts. This study used a prompted think-aloud method to gain an understanding of the information retrieval behavior of students in both formats. Qualitative analysis identified themes that will inform instruction and collection practices.

Living The Future 2012: Educational Role Of Libraries, Jennifer L. Fabbi, Jeanne Brown, Anne E. Zald, Steven Hoover

Library Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

From Art On The Wall To Something For All: How An Academic Library Turned Its Art Collection Into A Campus Attraction, Jill Cirasella, Miriam Deutch

Publications and Research

An important feature of the Brooklyn College Library is its art collection, the college’s only permanent art collection. In this article, we explain how the library came to have an art collection; how we supplemented the collection with museum-style wall labels, an online catalog, and an audio tour; and how we promoted the collection and sparked student creativity with an annual art contest. We pay particular attention to the decisions and details that might help other libraries working on similar projects.

They Sought Our Help: A Survey Of One-On-One Research Assistance At The University Of Tennessee Lupton Library, Sarla R. Murgai

The Southeastern Librarian

Providing research assistance on an individual basis to patrons has long been a standard service in the panoply of services at many academic libraries. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) Lupton Library describes its one-on-one research service as follows: "if you are new to using the library resources, can’t find the right source for your paper or need a demonstration of a database, need help in tracking an obscure article, or have any other questions that require a little extra help, Lupton Library offers one-on-one research help to students and faculty. You many request a research appointment online or …

Perceptions Of Personnel At Selected Texas Community Colleges Regarding The Impact Of Technology On Their Libraries, Sharon K. Kenan

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Technological innovations have transformed all areas of community college libraries. Automated library systems, office software, and Internet access have altered work processes for library personnel and have changed research methodologies for students and faculty. The purpose of this bounded multiple case study was to explore how the adoption of technology has changed important areas of four community college libraries in Texas. Using purposeful sampling to select community colleges with high technology libraries, the study explored how the adoption of technology by the case college libraries changed the libraries and the roles of people employed within the libraries by examining the …

Bridging The Gap: Transitioning Information Literacy Skills For Student Success, Jennifer L. Fabbi, David Forgues

Library Faculty Presentations

Context: UNLV, University Undergraduate Learning Outcomes, Inquiry & Critical Thinking, Information Literacy, iSkills Assessment

Library Publishing Services: Strategies For Success: Final Research Report (March 2012), James L. Mullins, Catherine Murray-Rust, Joyce L. Ogburn, Raym Crow, October Ivins, Allyson Mower, Daureen Nesdill, Mark Newton, Julie Speer, Charles Watkinson

Purdue University Press Books

This report briefly presents the findings and recommendations of the "Library Publishing Services: Strategies for Success" project which investigated the extent to which publishing has now become a core activity of North American academic libraries and suggested ways in which further capacity could be built. The research described (consisting of a survey, some case studies, three workshops, and a set of further reading recommendations) was mainly conducted between October 1, 2010, and September 30, 2011. It was supported by a grant from the Institute for Museum and Libraries Studies, made to Purdue University Libraries in collaboration with the Libraries of …

If You Build It, Will They Come? Building The Collaborative Infrastructure And The Ohiolink Collaborates Toolbox, Barbara J. Strauss, Margaret Maurer, Julie Gedeon

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

This research examines how libraries are collaborating, why libraries collaborate, and seeks the environmental conditions that foster successful cross-institutional collaborations. The Ohio Library and Information Network (OhioLINK) Consortium’s CollaboraTeS Project is examined, to inventory expertise and needs within the OhioLINK community and the members’ willingness to share, barter or contract their expertise with other OhioLINK institutions. This is followed by an examination of a sample of North American collaborative projects to identify environmental conditions that foster collaborations in North American libraries. A brief survey within the OhioLINK environment was then conducted that validated anecdotal evidence that the CollaboraTeS Toolbox has …

Bridging The Information Literacy Gap: First-Year Students Reflect For Success, Jennifer L. Fabbi, Dan Gianoutsos, David Forgues

Library Faculty Presentations

UNLV Context

• Fall 2011: 22,138 undergraduate students; 72% were fulltime; 5135 freshmen with a 76.4% first-yr retention rate (2010 to 2011); 40.6% six-year graduation rate

• Budget-induced movement to large-enrollment classes – Program eliminations and consolidations underway

• General Education Reform developments – Articulation of University Undergraduate Learning Outcomes, especially Inquiry and Critical Thinking – New general education requirements extending vertically throughout the curriculum

• Focus on enhancing the first-year experience for incoming students

How Institutional Repositories Provide A Digital Compliment To The First Year Experience, Erin Passehl, Valerie Bagley

Erin Passehl Stoddart

In Fall 2011, Western Oregon University Archives partnered with Interdisciplinary Studies to digitally capture capstone projects created in the First Year Experience Program (FYE). These seminars provide incoming first-year and transfer students with the necessary skills to succeed in the college classroom and campus life. WOU Archives and FYE instructors collaborated to preserve a digital sample of students’ capstone work, including papers, creative art, posters, presentations, and videos. This presentation will discuss this our shared promotional goals and the library’s role in supporting student retention. We’ll also discuss the nuts and bolts of digitally documenting student work, including permissions, formats, …

The Information Commons Handbook (Review), Robert A. Seal

Robert A Seal

Once an innovative idea but now a standard feature of many academic libraries, the information commons has transformed library services across the country over the past decade. Although dozens of articles have appeared in the literature on various aspects and models of the information commons (IC), until now there has not been a thorough monograph devoted to the topic.

Reference 2001: A Director’S Admonitions, Robert A. Seal

Robert A Seal

Reflections on professional roles and responsibilities are explored, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing academic reference librarians. The information environment has been transformed by technology and the Web, and will continue its exponential change. What's coming? What endures? How will we thrive? Whatever approach we take, it is essential to remember that maintaining the status quo is not good enough to meet the changing needs and expectations of library clientele.

Laboratory Office Hours As Outreach In The Health Sciences: Better Research Skills For Better Careers, Todd Prusin

University Library Faculty Publications

Medical librarianship is changing in healthcare environments. Since 1996, by which time the standards that determine how hospitals acquire accreditation changed, many hospitals are acquiring accreditation without a qualified medical librarian on site. For that reason, it has become even more important that healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses and other clinicians, learn to access and evaluate quality information as an integral part of their academic training. Because of this, medical clinicians must begin their careers with strong research skills. These skills must be attained during their academic matriculation and studies in the field of librarianship have shown that departmental outreach hours …

Partnering With It To Help Disadvantaged Students Achieve Academic Success, Janet H. Clarke

Library Faculty Publications

This case study will describe how the Stony Brook University Libraries instruction program partnered with another student support service (student computing office) to nurture a relationship with the Educational Opportunities Program (EOP) over several years to provide their students with the library research and computer skills needed to succeed in college. EOP is a state-funded program aimed at economically disadvantaged students whose high school education has not fully prepared them for college success.

The Information Commons: New Pathways To Digital Resources And Knowledge Management, Robert A. Seal

Robert A Seal

No longer an innovation, the information commons has become a mainstream approach in U.S. academic libraries for providing convenient access to technology and online resources, the first step for many university students in their own knowledge management. From the very basic model of a well-equipped computer lab to more elaborate projects involving multiple campus departments, extensive digital resources, and spaces for knowledge creation, the information commons can facilitate the integration of the college and university library into the academic learning process. After a brief overview of the changing library environment, the paper provides a look at the various models and …

Academic Branch Libraries, Robert A. Seal

Robert A Seal

Few issues in academic librarianship inspire as much controversy as the branch or departmental library. At the center of this controversy is the question of whether or not collections should be centralized in the main university library or located in part in separate branch libraries. Although vigorously debated since the beginning of this century, the centralization-decentralization dilemma became even more of an issue following World War II, when college and university enrollments and academic libraries began to grow at unprecedented rates and the pressure for adequate library services and collections increased. This particular issue has never been resolved completely, nor …

Review Of “Social Networking Tools For Academic Libraries”, Alison Hicks

Collaborative Librarianship

No abstract provided.

Implementing Reference Statistics Collection Software At Multiple Library Service Points, J. Gabe Gossett, Elizabeth Stephan, Rebecca Marrall

J. Gabe Gossett

Purpose– The purpose of this article is to explore the process of implementing LibAnswers, a reference statistics collection and analysis software, at multiple service points in an academic library and to outline the benefits of the process. Design/methodology/approach– The article outlines the process used to implement a statistics software, including initial testing, development of categories and terms used to define the question types, and training of library staff. Findings– Implementing a statistics program at multiple service points takes flexibility and patience. The biggest challenge faced was developing common terms to define what each desk did and how the statistics would …

Is The Loop Really Closed?: The Assessment And Reassessment Of Communications 101 Learning Outcomes, Carrie A. Gaxiola

Library Faculty Presentations

Conclusion: The students received good grades from Phase I library instruction, however did they really learn what we targeted? We could not really say for sure. This case study reveals that an appropriate method and instruments are imperative for retrieving valid data. This case also displays the importance of collaboration and teamwork. Communication was always open between all members of the team as well as with the library instruction department. We were able to forge a great relationship with the Communication Studies Director– the libraries’ liaison and the Communication Studies Director authored a textbook chapter together about the library for …

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.

Resource Discovery Tools: Supporting Serendipity, Tammera M. Race

DLTS Faculty Publications

Serendipity, the accidental discovery of something useful, plays an important role in discovery and the acquisition of new knowledge. The process and role of serendipity varies across disciplines. As library collections have become increasingly digital faculty lament the loss of serendipity of browsing library stacks. Resource discovery tools may have features that support serendipity as part of information seeking. A comparison of four commercial Web-scale discovery tools, Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) WorldCat® Local1, Serials Solution2® Summon3™, ExLibris4® Primo Central5™, and EBSCO Discovery Services (EDS)6™, links product features to characteristics that support serendipitous discovery. However, having such features is only …

Ask This Librarian: Integrating Library Tools Into The Online Learning Environment, Molly Beestrum, Kerri Willette

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2010

In order to reach learners where they already are, this project integrated LibGuides into two learning management systems using an embeddable widget. Moving the library resources into the students digital home - the LMS - rather than only providing resources within the library organization, we achieved a more user-centered service. Two disparate technologies were used: 1) LibGuides for creating the course guides, and 2) the widget, which is HMTL code that was added to an LMS (Moodle and JICS) and displayed in the course page.

Course Guides (using LibGuides) were created for four pilot course partners. Guides were tailored for …

Reinvigorating The Library Tour: Enhancing Student Engagement Through Library Collections, Amy Thornley

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2010

By design, the library tour is a typically passive exercise, but what if the tour could become an exercise to engage students in the physical library collections? This presentation describes how Miami University introduced a series of activities designed to encourage student interaction with library materials as a part of the typical library tour. Introducing a tactile element to the tours increased both library circulation and student recall of the collection, and anecdotal evidence suggests that students are undertaking more individual exploration. Examples and tips for implementation will be provided.

Books And Websites, E-Journals Or Print: If The Source Fits, Use It, Todd J. Wiebe

Faculty Publications

Despite the ever-growing range of media types, formats, and information-access options, students are often instructed to only use specific sources in their research. They are sometimes even given strict guidelines, prescribing how many of each they need to, or may, cite. It is important not to lead students to believe there is a formula for the ideal works cited for all research topics. In contrast, students should learn to think critically about the content and appropriateness of each potential source rather than choosing it only because it is a book, a journal article, a Website, etc. This article argues that …

Merging Critical Thinking And Information Literacy Outcomes - Making Meaning Or Making Strategic Partnership?, Robert Schroeder

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

The following book chapter will look at critical thinking, how librarians perceive its relationship to information literacy, and what useful strategies can result when these two concepts are combined. To set the stage a few of the major psychological and philosophical theories of critical thinking will be briefly noted. In order to gauge our profession's understanding of critical thinking and its relationship to information literacy, a survey of library literature will be performed. The more rigorous articles from this survey will then be discussed in order to discern the range of positions librarians have taken on the relationship of these …

Preparing For The 21st Century: Academic Library Realignment, Jennifer E. Nutefall, Faye A. Chadwell

Staff publications, research, and presentations

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to communicate how an academic library can establish and implement a realignment process to prepare itself to serve users in the 21st century.

Design/methodology/approach – The authors employed a case study approach to present the challenges of realigning an academic library. They describe the collaborative and interactive process that OSU Libraries undertook to envision what a 21st century academy library might demand and to realign its units to support this vision. They summarize the positive outcomes of this process and provide an overview of what next steps might be.

Findings – A …

Communication Overload: A Phenomenological Inquiry Into Academic Reference Librarianship, C. Sean Burns, Jenny Bossaller

C. Sean Burns

Purpose – This study aims to provide insight on the meaning of communication overload as experienced by modern academic librarians. Communication is the essence of reference librarianship, and a practically endless array of synchronous and asynchronous communication tools (ICTs) are available to facilitate communication. Design/methodology/approach – This study relied on a phenomenological methodology, which included nine in-depth interviews with academic librarians. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using RQDA, a qualitative analysis software package that facilitates coding, category building, and project management. Findings – Seven themes about librarianship emerged from this research: attending to communication abundance, librarians of two types, …

Desk Statistics Under A Microscope = Improved Library Services, Susan [Gardner] Archambault

LMU Librarian Publications & Presentations

This presentation offers a case study of how one library’s assessment of data
gathered from its public service desk led to changes and improvements in service. The William H. Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) recorded all of the questions and answers asked at its Information Desk from Fall 2009 to the present using the Gimlet (http://gimlet.us) electronic question tracking system. A content analysis was performed on the data that led to advancements in signage and a new knowledge base of FAQ’s. In addition, new services were implemented related to technology and research that addressed user needs.

Hitch Your Wagon To Institutional Goals, Anne E. Zald, Michelle Millet

Library Faculty Publications

The landscape of accreditation and accountability in higher education is in a period of rapid change, coalescing around issues identified in the 2006 report of the Spellings Commission, “A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education.” Information literacy librarians need to connect their instructional efforts to the institutional strategies and initiatives that address continuous improvement whatever their source, e.g. accreditation agencies, funding bodies such as state legislatures, institutional participation in the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), University & College Accountability Network (U-CAN), or internal initiatives of the institution’s administration. The challenge for instruction librarians is great, requiring …