Law Library Faculty Services Web Sites: Effectively Communicating Services Provided for Faculty

This article contains the results of an empirical analysis and review of 199 American Bar Association-accredited law school library Web pages to identify the law library services for faculty that are advertised or promoted on law library Web sites. The analysis ranked the Web sites based on how thoroughly a law library communicates, or promotes on its Web site, the services it offers to faculty. The analysis also identified the percentage of law libraries advertising specific services for faculty, such as those related to library staffing, publishing support, teaching support, and research services. Suggestions are included for the promotion of the law library to faculty, including services some libraries are uniquely offering.     

The Impact of Library Support on Education Faculty Research Productivity: An Exploratory Study

The authors surveyed college and university faculty members in the field of professional education to gauge their perceptions pertaining to the impact of library services on their research. The purpose was to illuminate faculty perceptions in a postsecondary education environment that emphasizes research productivity and requires libraries to provide ever more compelling evidence of their institutional value. Survey results showed that faculty members continue to rely on traditional discovery and collections-based library services, but that additional support for grant activity, data management, intellectual property management, and bibliometric analysis is needed. Implications for transforming library research support are discussed, and areas for further study are proposed.     

Information Literacy Programs

Summary

With the rapid advances in information technology, the proliferation of information resources and formats, and the increasing complexities of access and evaluation, libraries recognize the necessity for a dynamic information literacy program that will address the needs of all categories of users. University faculty constitute one group of users to which the systemic college library increasingly endeavors to extend and market its services and programs, including its information literacy training workshops. A consideration of this library/classroom faculty relationship in the context of the adult education literature, as well as successful models that have been employed in this effort, provide insight on ways in which the library can successfully accomplish its information literacy training objectives among this group.     

Faculty Awareness and Perception of Streaming Video for Teaching

Streaming is an increasingly popular delivery method for audiovisual content in higher education and has been embraced by many libraries, sometimes without sufficient communication with faculty. The authors developed a survey with the primary purpose of determining whether faculty on their campus were aware of the library's streaming video services and what barriers might be preventing wider use. The study sought to gather contextual information on faculty preferences, interests, and awareness regarding library media collections, audiovisual delivery formats, and the use of streaming video for instruction. This information will inform actions and decisions about collections and outreach.     

What Do Distance Education Faculty Want from the Library?

Abstract

Much has been written on the importance of working with instructors teaching at a distance to provide library services to distant students and instructors. However, what distant instructors want and expect from the library has not been explored as directly, and definitely not on a large scale. Examining the small-scale studies that have been performed at various institutions, we can (1) identify what distance education faculty generally want from their library to supplement their instruction; (2) look at what services faculty would commonly like to see the library offer to their students; and (3) discover what further steps need to be taken to better understand the faculty we seek to serve.     

Uncovering the Evidence: Faculty Perceptions of Distance Library Services

Usage statistics are a regular part of assessment but the lack of context leaves librarians pondering the reasons for fluctuations in use. Through development of an online survey, we examined faculty perceptions, knowledge, and use of distance library services to support online courses. Responses provided much needed context and helped to determine priorities and direction for services. While this survey was a useful marketing tool, results emphasized that the greatest need was for ongoing communication with faculty to increase awareness of services provided.     

Beyond Satisfaction: Understanding and Promoting the Instructor-Librarian Relationship

This article reports upon the assessment and research activities undertaken by a research group of faculty librarians at Hunter College regarding the perceptions, awareness, and usage of library services by non-librarian faculty members. Given the initial directive to measure faculty satisfaction with library services, the research group developed an ongoing action-research protocol to pursue more meaningful assessments of faculty awareness and use of library services and resources. The researchers employed both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, gathering data through informal information groups with faculty members and through an online survey measuring faculty awareness of library resources and services (Faculty Awareness of Library Services (FALS)). The findings show that while Hunter faculty value relational engagement with the library, they are more frequently aware of non-relational, self-service library resources. Further, the data suggest that tenured faculty members are aware of library services at a higher rate than tenure-track faculty. This data forms the foundation of an on-going action-research protocol to assess long-term trends, the products of which will continue to inform faculty services, outreach, and programming.     

Expanding Library Support for Faculty Research in Historically Black Colleges and Universities

ABSTRACT

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Library Alliance conducted a study to assess library services in support of faculty research. Funded by an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant, and with support from LYRASIS, the study involved two different assessments. The first assessment was of faculty members and their support needs for research. The second assessment was of librarians to understand current capacity and needs related to support libraries provide to faculty. While the HBCU Library Alliance acknowledges that libraries do not have the capacity to address all the challenges to faculty research, the results from this study can serve as a tool to augment the academic infrastructure to support research.     

A Systematic Approach to Assessing the Needs of Distance Faculty

Abstract

Beginning in the 1990s, various academic units within our health sciences institution moved aggressively toward providing courses and programs via distance education. Without a centralized campus distance education office, distance library services from our campus evolved sporadically in response to individual needs. In 2001, the library hired its first distance services librarian, whose primary responsibility was to develop a written distance library services plan. In accordance with the ACRL Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services, the library determined that the formulation of an effective plan required a formal needs assessment of the faculty providing distance education. In this paper, we will discuss the process for developing this needs assessment, based on focus groups and a written survey instrument. We will also address some of the challenges we faced with this approach. Preliminary data identified copyright clearance and lack of awareness regarding library services as the major barriers to distance faculty seeking course support from the library.     

学部制下学科服务创新模式探索与思考——重庆大学图书馆学科服务的拓展与深化

［目的/意义］面对高校学部制的改革,研究与探索重庆大学图书馆在学部制下的学科服务新模式,以便能更好地为本校学部用户的科研和学习提供更专业的学科信息与知识服务。［方法/过程］ 重庆大学图书馆构建学部制下的学科服务创新模式,以服务学部用户为导向,创建学部制下的学科服务机制,搭建学部制下的学科服务交互平台,并依托该平台重点深化拓展学科服务的五大范畴：信息素质教育、资源建设、科研支撑、学术评价、学者库建设。［结果/结论］重庆大学图书馆学部制下学科服务创新模式的实践显示,该模式能够大范围覆盖学部用户,挖掘用户的隐性需求并提供多层次的创新服务,更好地支撑学部用户科研和教学。     

Using Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing to Implement Change

Academic medical libraries have responded to changes in technology, evolving professional roles, reduced budgets, and declining traditional services. Libraries that have taken a proactive role to change have seen their librarians emerge as collaborators and partners with faculty and researchers, while para-professional staff is increasingly overseeing traditional services. This article addresses shifting staff and schedules at a single-service-point information desk by using time-driven activity-based costing to determine the utilization of resources available to provide traditional library services. Opening hours and schedules were changed, allowing librarians to focus on patrons’ information needs in their own environment.     

Effectiveness of a Liaison Program in Meeting Information Needs of College of Pharmacy Faculty

This article describes the creation and implementation of focus groups to evaluate the effectiveness of a health sciences library's liaison program of the College of Pharmacy faculty and to better understand the faculty's information needs in order to design new and improved library services. The liaison services support the teaching and research needs of faculty and students through literature research, classroom teaching, and an extensive library collection of pharmacy literature. Focus group results demonstrated a high level of satisfaction with library liaison services and collections. Opportunities exist for expanded interaction with graduate students and greater marketing of library services to increase faculty awareness of specific library programs.     

The academic library: Structure,space, physical and virtual use

This mixed-methods study aims to characterize the appropriate structure of the academic library in the information age according to the perceptions of the faculty members who use the library and the academic librarians operating it. Two main issues were addressed: centralization versus decentralization, and the provision of physical versus virtual services. The study population included members of the faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences in three academic institutions in Israel and academic librarians working in these institutions. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with 20 faculty members and 15 librarians, while quantitative data was collected through questionnaires filled by 191 faculty members and 50 librarians in the above-mentioned institutions. Analysis of these data reveal that faculty members generally prefer a concentration of materials—rather than decentralization—and they show a similar preference toward a faculty library model, a combined faculty/departmental library model, and a central library model. Similarly, the academic librarians prefer either faculty or combined faculty/department libraries, but their preference toward a central library model is lower than that of the faculty members. The decentralized, departmental library model was the least favored by both groups. In addition, our findings indicate that both the faculty members and the librarians appreciate the virtual services that the library provides as well as its physical presence, although fewer faculty members than librarians perceived the latter as an important role of the library. Taken together it appears that the preferred model for the academic library in the information age is of large, multidisciplinary libraries that contain materials from a variety of fields and provide comprehensive virtual services.     

Aiding Faculty Research Through Convenience in the Interlibrary Loan Department

The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Department at Murray State University has developed convenient methods to aid faculty members in their research. Various means of communication and programs, such as Campus Delivery, Document Delivery, and “Free ILL,” have allowed faculty members to see the wide variety of research resources that are available through interlibrary loan. These methods have been used as key public relations tools to promote library resources and services, and have strengthened the relationship between faculty members and the Interlibrary Loan Department at Murray State University.     

Faculty Expectations and the Adult Learner: Some Implications for Reference

Summary

In addition to the normal difficulties encountered when returning to the academic environment, adult students are expected to use a library that may be very different from the one they have used earlier. While some teaching faculty recognize that these students may need additional help to effectively use the library, others do not. This study investigated faculty expectations for adult students and the academic library. The majority of faculty surveyed believe students need instruction to develop familiarity with library resources and technology. Furthermore, the faculty are willing to work with librarians to ensure students gain these skills.     

The Faculty-Library Connection

Abstract

With the proliferation of distance education programs, it is essential to consider methods to reach faculty who are often at a distance themselves. This paper discusses how the Libraries and School for Professional Studies Distance Learning department at Regis University collaborated to develop an online workshop in WebCT designed to raise faculty awareness of library resources and services and to train them to integrate library activities into the courses they teach.     

Medical library services in Switzerland: catching up with EBM

The feature is a part of the series about medical library services in various countries. It gives an overview of medical library services to support research, education and clinical practice in Switzerland. Data were collected by means of an online survey and set in the wider context of the Swiss healthcare system. Key findings are that library services, including support by academic librarians, are provided to health care staff in hospitals – both university and others, while there is no information service infrastructure to serve the large number of GPs and specialists who mostly run their own practice. The authors recommend that – if the health authorities take EBM seriously – information services should be introduced for these small practices. J.M.     

FROM THE EDITOR

Abstract

This paper reports on a survey of faculty perceptions of the role of the library in online distance education. The study is second in a series of related studies exploring The Pennsylvania State University's library services to patrons at a distance. In 2004, faculty of the World Campus (Penn State's online distance education program) were surveyed on their perceptions of e-learners' research needs. The faculty responded to questions on how their students access research information for their courses, whether they require their students to use the library as part of their courses, and their expectations of the library as an academic support service. The survey revealed that 60% of the responding faculty supply all of the required research information to students in their courses, and 62% do not require students to use the library as part of their course(s). The study concludes that online, distance-education faculty members have minimal to moderate expectations of the library in supporting their teaching and their students' research needs. Moreover, the study shows a significant lack of faculty awareness of existing library services and resources available to the e-learning community.     

A pilot study of the effects of faculty status for medical librarians in the United States

Objectives:Within many institutions, there are debates over whether medical librarians should be classified as faculty or professional staff, a distinction that may have considerable effect on the perception of librarians within their local institutions. This study is a pilot exploration of how faculty status may affect the professional experiences of academic medical librarians within their local institutions.Methods:Surveys were sent to 209 medical librarians listed as having some instructional function at Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accredited medical institutions in the United States. Survey responses were captured using Qualtrics survey tool and analyzed for frequencies and associations using SPSS version 27.Results:Sixty-four medical librarians at academic medical institutions completed the survey developed for this study. Of the respondents, 60.9% indicated that librarians at their institution have faculty status, while 71.9% believe that librarians at their institution should have faculty status. Ninety percent of librarians with faculty status reported that they are expected to generate scholarly materials, compared to 28% of those without faculty status.Conclusions:Many medical libraries offer faculty status to librarians. While many medical librarians are active in instruction, research, and other activities normally associated with faculty status, it is not clear if faculty status impacts how librarians are perceived by other health care workers within their institutions.     

When Off-Campus Means Virtual Campus: The Academic Library in Second Life

ABSTRACT

This article discusses how a library's consistent policy of accessibility and foresight positioned itself to serve its students, faculty and staff in the virtual world of Second Life. Always ahead of the technological curve, this library has been the front-runner in providing services to distance learners via text messaging, “chat,” e-mail, and telephone services and via its laptop librarian project across the campus. It now is poised and ready to provide service in Second Life. Collaboration between the library and teaching faculty culminated in the creation, development, and furnishing of a library in Second Life, an environment that gives new meaning to “off-campus” learning. Without marketing, but as a visible presence, the Second Life library was able to attract both off-campus guests and affiliated students and faculty and even participated in campus-wide projects. This experiment has enjoyed the support of both the university and library administration.