Practical Academic Librarianship: The International Journal of the SLA Academic Division (Texas Digital Library - TDL E-Journals)
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Using Qualitative Methods to Supplement Quantitative Research: A Case Study in Evaluating Student Usage of Facilities * WINNER OF THE 2021 PRACTICAL ACADEMIC LIBRARIANSHIP AWARD *
No full textQuantitative research is an important tool in understanding library users; quantifiable data is objective and can be processed and analyzed in ways that bring about new insights. Unfortunately, it is better at telling us where and when than it is at telling us the whys. Our library, the Business, Engineering, Science, and Technology library at Miami University, did a headcount study to see how many people were using which rooms at what times of the day and night. There were many things we learned from that data, but in order to flesh it out and make it more of a three-dimensional picture of our users we decided to use methods from ethnography. We ran a survey and then interviewed several of the survey respondents. The result was a “thick description” that allowed us to better understand the motivations behind some of the behavior seen in the quantitative study.
* WINNER OF THE 2021 PRACTICAL ACADEMIC LIBRARIANSHIP AWARD
Introduction to This Issue
No full textIntroduces two new co-editors for the journal and recognizes those who have been involved in its nearly ten year history
An Examination of Instructional Intervention on Doctoral Student Perceptions of Scholarly Communication
No full textDoctoral students need a solid understanding of the scholarly communication process in order to publish their research. Despite this need, many universities lack a formal means of instructing their graduate students on these topics, opting instead for informal discussions between students and faculty. This pilot study describes one academic library’s attempt to understand doctoral student perceptions of scholarly communication topics by way of collaboration, both within and outside the library. A one-time instructional intervention was conducted with a selected group of doctoral students within a College of Education program. Students were assessed pre- and post-instruction to ascertain any change in student knowledge and perceptions as a result of the instruction. Results indicate that the instructional intervention produced positive gains in student knowledge as well as solidified student understanding of the imperative need to publish prior to graduation. Results also demonstrated the need to educate faculty on these topics as students indicated a strong preference for their professor’s guidance on selecting a journal for publication. These findings highlight the need for greater levels of instruction on scholarly communication topics, as well as the need for channels of instruction
Interactive whiteboards in library instruction: Facilitating student engagement and active learning
No full textDetermined to keep up with the ever-changing instructional trends, academic libraries have been quick to adopt emerging teaching and learning technologies. Recent literature features many examples of technologies that have found a place in libraries’ instructional programs: learning management systems, clickers, online tutorials, reference chats, and mobile devices, to mention the most popular ones. Curiously enough, despite their popularity in business and K-12 contexts, interactive whiteboards (IWBs) are rarely discussed in the context of academic libraries’ efforts to embrace innovative teaching methods. Offering a rationale for the implementation of IWBs at the Lloyd Sealy Library, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and describing new instructional strategies the addition of IWBs has fostered, this article addresses this omission. Present-day IWBs have evolved to include features that accommodate a variety of teaching strategies, including those appropriate for distance learners, and thus encourage student engagement and participation. This case study shows how IWBs meet the versatile needs of library instruction, at the same time as they offer librarians an opportunity to reshape and improve the ways and formats in which they teach research skills. By providing sample lesson plans and activities developed to incorporate the interactive features of IWBs, this article illustrates the versatility of this underutilized technology. To further encourage academic librarians to consider working with IWBs, we argue that incorporating IWBs, and thus active learning strategies, into classes and workshops has allowed our library to meet new institutional priorities that emphasize effective teaching and student engagement
Should We Shush about the Stereotype? Examining Student-Generated Images of Librarians
No full textLIS literature has long been concerned with the stereotype of librarians as spinsters. This concern is often based on analysis of media portrayals without investigation of actual patron perceptions. In this article, we examine the way students visualize librarians, and how that visualization compares to similar professions. By analyzing student-created digital avatars of librarians, nurses, and software engineers, we find that while some aspects of the spinster stereotype are slightly more prominent for librarians than for the other professions, they only appear in a minority of student images of librarians. We conclude that the spinster stereotype of librarians is not dominant among contemporary undergraduate students, and so is unlikely to be a factor in library anxiety or usage patterns
HOW ARE WE DOING? USING FACULTY FEEDBACK TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF LIBRARY INSTRUCTION ON STUDENT WORK
No full textData collected from surveys of faculty who brought their students in for library instruction provides the basis for this article. Faculty can be reached through surveys developed using low cost or even no cost tools and results have been used to help establish a connection between library instruction and quality of student work. Details on the surveys and summary data results will be highlighted, as will results from a survey of faculty who do not schedule instruction, providing easily replicable assessment tools that can be adapted for the needs of other academic libraries.
Whither Goest Government Documents? A Story and a Study
No full textA study was conducted to determine the findability of known print U.S. government documents using five different resources: the Catalog of Government Publications, in-house library catalog, library discovery service, HathiTrust, and Google. Overall, Google was the most effective finding tool, followed by the library discovery service, the in-house library catalog, Catalog of Government Publications, and HathiTrust. Three-quarters of documents were available full text via Google. Implications of the online availability of government publications on the need for large print documents collections, and the continuing reconsideration of library spaces, are discussed, as are future studies
Special Collections LibGuides: An Analysis of Uses and Accessibility
No full textContent management systems (CMS) such as SpringShare’s LibGuides have become a popular method of creating online pathfinders or subject guides. At the same time, special collections have explored new digital ways to reach their users. Ease of access and simple navigation are key to reaching all types of users. Special collections have explored different ways to use a traditional subject guide system to meet their unique needs. This article investigates the navigation pathway to special collections LibGuides at Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA) member institutions and analyzes the different ways special collections are using this tool
Breaking the ‘Ice’: Using a Sword to Slay Patron Anxiety in Special Collections
No full textThis paper describes demonstrated success by one special collections library in reducing among members of its patron population feelings of anxiety and reluctance endemic to people encountering a special collections library environment for the first time. Reading Room staff use a collection of replica weapons with origins in the immensely popular fantasy universe of George R.R. Martin, to create an open and welcoming atmosphere. Artifacts of popular culture become gateways through which patrons pass feeling more ready to engage with special collections materials. This successful process provides a useful example to institutions looking for successful outreach efforts of their own.
Trusted Librarian: Corporate Service Models Build Collaborative Academic Partnerships
No full textAs we compete in the global market of information providers, libraries can advance by better understanding how corporations conduct business and provide services. According to the principles discussed in Trusted Advisor (Maister, 2000), constituents may value trust more than discipline expertise. Business books often discuss trust-building, which is viewed as a necessity for building professional success. Discipline expertise is a valuable commodity, but librarians who fail to build trust with constituents may struggle to engage them. Trusted Librarian is a best practices piece that identifies successful trust-building techniques that cultivate collaborative partnerships between librarian and constituent