Library and Information Science Commons^™

From Exhaustion To Exhilaration: Assessing Librarian Job Satisfaction With Virtual Reference, Arthur Hendricks, Sherry Buchanan

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Purpose – Librarians respond to staffing L-net, Oregon's statewide reference chat service, in different ways. The aim of this paper is to create a survey to look for ways to improve the statewide service and improve the experience of chat librarians (as well as patrons).
Design/methodology/approach – The authors surveyed L-net librarians to learn their thoughts and satisfaction with answering L-net chat questions. They collected anonymous survey data via PSU's web survey software (Qualtrics). The survey instrument was a mixture of qualitative and quantitative questions. The survey consisted of 29 questions.
Findings – While the literature has many articles regarding …

Building And Sustaining A Culture Of Assessment: Best Practices For Change Leadership, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea of using Kotter's eight-step model for change leadership to create a culture of assessment that is embedded in the organizational culture of an academic library. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper that examines the potential application of a business change model to an academic library change context. Each step of Kotter's model is described within the context of building a culture of assessment, supported by examples and suggestions from the literature of libraries, higher education, organizational behavior and change leadership. Findings – While building a culture of …

Web Conferencing Software, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Web conferencing software -- also known as webinar, videoconferencing, online meeting, and virtual classroom software -- is a web-­based technology that allows groups to synchronously communicate online. Most web conferencing software offers collaboration through text, voice and video chat, screen-­sharing, collaborative whiteboards, and file-­sharing. Tips and Trends, written by Instructional Technologies Committee members, introduces and discusses new, emerging, or even familiar technology which can be applied in the library instruction setting.

Library Faculty And Instructional Assessment: Creating A Culture Of Assessment Through The High Performance Programming Model Of Organizational Transformation, Meredith G. Farkas, Lisa J. Hinchliffe

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

In an environment in which libraries increasingly need to demonstrate their value to faculty and administrators, providing evidence of the library’s contribution to student learning through its instruction program is critical. However, building a culture of assessment can be a challenge, even if librarians recognize its importance. In order to lead change, coordinators of library instruction at institutions where librarians are also tenure-track faculty must build trust and collaboration, lead through influence, and garner support from administration for assessment initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to explore what it takes to build a culture of assessment in academic libraries …

Tutor-Facilitated Adult Digital Literacy Learning: Insights From A Case Study, Kimberly D. Pendell, Elizabeth Withers, Jill Castek, Stephen Reder

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

While the digital divide has decreased, those who are still unable to access and use information and communication technologies are left further behind. An effective digital literacy program helps underserved populations gain needed skills and alleviate the demand placed on public library staff. This case study presents findings on a digital literacy learning model that utilizes a self-paced online platform and in-person volunteer tutors. The researchers found that the learner/tutor relationship is an essential part of the learning process, and that tutors develop a variety of strategies for helping learners. The researchers also identify aspects of effective program implementation.

The Research Process And The Library: First-Generation College Seniors Vs. Freshmen, Elizabeth F. Pickard, Firouzeh Logan

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

In a follow-up study to the ERIAL (Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries) Project, librarians at UIC compared the responses of first-generation college freshmen from the original study to those of seniors. The study’s aim was to determine whether student information literacy increases as a result of undergraduate education and to further explore the student research process with respect to the particular factors that inform and effect change in it. The findings showed that information literacy increased among these students, and they developed a more complex approach to the research process and the library.

Yet Another Crisis Of The Book, Bennett Gilbert

University Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Book bindings and binding decor can reveal deep parts of our attitudes toward books and toward culture. Changes in attitudes toward the codex book during the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution are part of continual change in book culture. The re-binding of early printed books is exemplary evidence of these changes. The new bindings express both a rejection of pre-Enlightenment culture and an attempt to stabilize traditional cultural values. This also suggests how we might view events customarily considered to be "revolutions".

Academic Libraries In The Age Of Moocs, Kerry Wu

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Purpose – The article aims to report on the current development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), explore the strengths and weaknesses of MOOCs, and reflect on the possible relationships between academic libraries and MOOCs.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a mix of literature review (mostly current news) and personal observations. The author discusses the unique characteristics of MOOCs, speculates on the benefits of MOOCs on higher education, and explores the impact of MOOCs on academic libraries and how librarians can respond to it.

Findings – MOOCs create global learning communities that benefit both students and universities, and …

Interinstitutional Library Collaboration: Support For A Joint Master Of Public Health Program, Emily Ford, Laura Zeigen

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Library-related and resource access issues confronting students enrolled in an inter-institutional joint master’s degree program in public health are addressed in this chapter. It details a cross-institutional collaborative effort to identify and provide research resources to inter-institutional joint degree students and faculty and analyzes the program through the lens of literature on collaboration in higher education and in library instruction. Reports on findings from qualitative feedback and quantitative card sort analysis data were gathered to inform development of content for, and organization of, a library research guide. Bureaucratic structures and policies often affect library services to students and faculty in …

Meeting The Challenges Of Professional Committee Meetings, Robert Schroeder, Donald G. Frank

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Librarians join many professional associations and work on a great number of professional committees over the course of their careers. Working on a committee as a member can be a challenge, and the challenges can be even greater if you are chairing the committee. The authors summarize some of the key points for planning and executing effective and enjoyable meetings. Get tips as well on how to follow through to get results and how to improve future meetings.

Mobile Learning: The Teacher In Your Pocket, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Mobile computing has exploded around the world over the past several years. Morgan Stanley suggests that mobile Internet use will exceed the use from fixed devices, and Ericsson projects that 80 percent of people will access the web from a mobile device by 2015 (Ingram 2010; Ericsson Corporate Public & Media Relations 2010). Mobile devices are being used for content creation, communication, information seeking, and so much more. The notion that mobile devices would be used only for quick and simple tasks has been challenged by research showing that a growing portion of the population—especially low-income and minority mobile users—use …

Open Ethos Publishing At Code4lib Journal And In The Library With The Lead Pipe, Emily Ford

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The library world is deeply entrenched in the open ethos, yet there are few examples of library publications that engage in open editorial and peer review processes. In this article we discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by the open editorial processes used at In the Library with the Lead Pipe and Code4Lib Journal. To end, we discuss the need to grow open review and editorial processes in library and information science publications.

Rethinking Information Literacy In A Globalized World, Laurie Kutner, Alison Armstrong

Communications in Information Literacy

As a profession, librarians have an important and unique role to play in higher education in producing information literate students equipped to be successful in a complex, twenty-first century global society. It is our contention that our guiding professional information literacy definitions and standards need to be reconsidered in order to remain relevant within the global learning context. Our preliminary conclusion is that the predominantly skills-based approach facilitated by the current ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, is not sufficient to facilitate teaching of twenty-first century "deep information literacy," which we feel encompasses additional content-based engagement with the …

Information Literacy On The Web: How College Students Use Visual And Textual Cues To Assess Credibility On Health Websites, Katrina L. Pariera

Communications in Information Literacy

One of the most important literacy skills in today's information society is the ability to determine the credibility of online information. Users sort through a staggering number of websites while discerning which will provide satisfactory information. In this study, 70 college students assessed the credibility of health websites with a low and high design quality, in either low or high credibility groups. The study's purpose was to understand if students relied more on textual or visual cues in determining credibility, and to understand if this affected their recall of those cues later. The results indicate that when viewing a high …

Considering Information Literacy Skills And Needs: Designing Library Instruction For The Online Learner, Swapna Kumar, Marilyn Ochoa, Mary Edwards

Communications in Information Literacy

This paper reports on a library instruction needs assessment conducted with incoming doctoral students (n=34) in two online programs in education. The differences in the prior skills and experiences of the two groups highlighted the importance of both needs assessments and learner analysis as well as course- or program-specific instructional design in information literacy instruction for online students. Based on students' reported skills, education librarians structured both the content and format of instruction to help students succeed in online activities in the doctoral program.

Collaboration And Problem-Based Learning: Integrating Information Literacy Into A Political Science Course, Peg Cook, Mary Barbara Walsh

Communications in Information Literacy

This paper details the collaborative efforts of a reference librarian and a political science professor to seamlessly meld the study of politics with the acquisition of information literacy skills using a problem-based learning approach. Students in an introductory American Government class were engaged in a group project in which they acted as media consultants for the political candidate of their choice. Two information literacy sessions were embedded into the project. ACRL Information Literacy Standards were used to generate and assess performance outcomes. Student feedback, as well as pre-test and post-test results, indicate that a problem-based approach to enhancing information literacy …

Notes From The Field: 10 Short Lessons On One-Shot Instruction, Megan Oakleaf, Steven Hoover, Beth Woodard, Jennifer Corbin, Randy Hensley, Diana Wakimoto, Christopher V. Hollister, Debra Gilchrist, Michelle Millet, Patty Iannuzzi

Communications in Information Literacy

Librarians teach. It might not be what they planned to do when they entered the profession, or it may have been a secret hope all along. Either way, librarians teach, and one teaching scenario remains quintessential: the one-shot library instruction session. In recognition of the centrality of the "one-shot," this article shares several authors' "notes from the field." The notes provide a range of strategies for developing pedagogically sound one-shot library instruction sessions, grouped loosely into three categories: planning, delivery, and integration. The authors offer these insights in their own words in hopes that other teaching librarians may benefit from …

Teaching Matters: The Necessity And Challenge Of Teaching Information Ethics, Patrick P. Ragains

Communications in Information Literacy

This issue's column provides an overview of issues related to academic integrity in higher eduction.

Predictors Of Student's Attitudes Toward Science Literacy, Irina I. Holden

Communications in Information Literacy

Being information and science literate are crucial in an age when scientific developments influence the political arena and vice versa. In order to become active and responsible citizens, students must understand such issues as global warming and stem cell research. Furthermore, they must be lifelong learners, capable of researching and educating themselves about new scientific developments. These are some of the complex issues that information literacy educators must address. This article reports on the results of a survey of student's attitudes towards science literacy and lifelong learning, and on variables associated with their attitudes. Most of the students' attitudes were …

Engineering Integration: Building A Quick And Effective Faculty Seminar, Kate Peterson, Jon Jeffryes

Communications in Information Literacy

In the spring of 2010, the Science & Engineering Library of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities partnered with the Information Literacy Librarian and offered a faculty seminar to the College of Science and Engineering. The seminar's goals included 1.) refreshing and expanding faculty's knowledge of information and 21st century literacies and 2.) creating a community of faculty committed to developing student skills in finding, evaluating and synthesizing information in their academic coursework and into their professional careers. Overall, the seminar increased faculty understanding of services and expertise of the libraries, and 21st century literacies. It also developed and strengthened ties …

Measuring The Impact Of Library Instruction On Freshmen Success And Persistence: A Quantitative Analysis, Jason M. Vance, Rachel Kirk, Justin G. Gardner

Communications in Information Literacy

This study examines the relationship between formal library instruction and undergraduate student performance and persistence in higher education. Researchers analyzed two years of academic and demographic data collected from first-time freshmen at Middle Tennessee State University in an attempt to quantify the effect of librarian-led one-shot classroom instruction on students' grade point averages and their likelihood of returning to school for the sophomore year.

Embedding Affective Learning Outcomes In Library Instruction, Ellysa Stern Cahoy, Robert Schroeder

Communications in Information Literacy

While information literacy in higher education has long been focused on cognitive learning outcomes, attention must be paid to students' affective, emotional needs throughout the research process. This article identifies models for embedding affective learning outcomes within information literacy instruction, and provides strategies to help librarians discover, articulate, and address students' self-efficacy, motivation, emotions and attitudes. Worksheets to assist in creating affective learning outcomes are included to bring structure to an area of learning that is often challenging to articulate and measure. Also included in the article are the results of a recent survey of instruction librarians' familiarity and inclusion …

Troublesome Concepts And Information Literacy: Investigating Threshold Concepts For Il Instruction, Amy R. Hofer, Lori Townsend, Korey Brunetti

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Librarians regularly encounter students who struggle to understand and apply information literacy concepts. A qualitative survey administered to information literacy practitioners asked about troublesome content and analyzed results using the threshold concepts pedagogical framework first described by Jan Meyer and Ray Land. A threshold concept transforms the learner’s view of content and helps integrate previously learned material; threshold concepts are portals that, once traversed, bring insight into how to think and act like a practitioner within a discipline. This project uses the data collected to propose seven threshold concepts for information literacy.

Technology In Practice. The Diy Patron: Rethinking How We Help Those Who Don't Ask, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article presents information on services provided by library reference desks for do-it-yourself (DYI) patrons. The author looks at online instructional content, how-to tutorials, and in-person reference services. The article also discusses the importance of understanding library users' information-seeking behaviors.

The Ase Research Model: A Lightning Talk, Kimberly Willson-St. Clair

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This PowerPoint describes the Analyze, Search, Evaluate (ASE) model for building a research strategy. This pedagogical model was field tested by Dr. Melissa Gross and Dr. Don Latham in a large, IMLS funded study of Florida college students who were targeted for remedial instruction regarding research skills and information literacy. Using this method at the Portland State University Library in research classes for freshman and international students, I have found the ASE research model to be an engaging way to organize an hour library class so that students learn an efficient and easy way to construct their research strategies.

Technology In Practice. Let's #Makeithappen: What Is Stopping You From Creating Change?, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article presents information on how librarians can get involved and create change. The author looks at the Twitter social networking service hashtag #makeithappen from librarian J.P. Porcaro, online professional development opportunities, and the future of libraries. She also discusses her experience creating the "Five Weeks to a Social Library" free online learning program.

What Do We Do And Why Do We Do It?, Emily Ford

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The library community should develop a philosophy of librarianship. In order to do so the community should engage in a dialogue about what we do and why we do it. Our history with the idea of a philosophy of librarianship is long, yet the library community hasn’t resolved the problem of what that philosophy (or philosophies) should be. Engaging in a reflective and philosophically-based practice of librarianship (a praxis of librarianship), one that frames decision-making and library work with the question: “what we do and why we do it?” will enable the library community to have successful conversations with those …

Technology In Practice. Tools For Optimal Flow: Technology-Enabled Research Workflows, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article presents information on technological tools for collecting and using research. The author looks at reference management software Zotero, computer program Mendeley for managing and sharing data, and Evernote software for notetaking and archiving. The article also discusses the social bookmarking websites Diigo and Instapaper.

Heard On The Net: You Can’T Always Get What You Want: Peering Into Open Access And Watching It All Come Unglued, Jill Emery

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This column discusses the usage findings of the PEER (Publishing and the Ecology of European Research) Project and argues that librarians should start assembling tools to not only track author publishing but to also measure the impact of research.

Usability Study Of A Library’S Mobile Website: An Example From Portland State University, Kimberly D. Pendell, Michael S. Bowman

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

To discover how a newly developed library mobile website performed across a variety of devices, the authors used a hybrid field and laboratory methodology to conduct a usability test of the website. Twelve student participants were recruited and selected according to phone type. Results revealed a wide array of errors attributed to site design, wireless network connections, as well as phone hardware and software. This study provides an example methodology for testing library mobile websites, identifies issues associated with mobile websites, and provides recommendations for improving the user experience.