We May Be Teaching Information Literacy,but Are the Design First Year Students Actually Getting It?

The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes of information literacy instruction for the Design first year students at the Temasek Polytechnic Library. Also of interest was whether or not the librarian was being seen as easily approachable, and if the students were deeming the lessons to be worthwhile. A participant action research approach was used, with the data being collected from multiple choice tests delivered via the institutional learning management system, group exercises, and a diagnostic assessment that was delivered before the workshops. It was found that the students did see the librarian as someone who was eminently approachable, and the majority of them found the lessons to be of value. It was concluded that the use of a diagnostic tool can be very useful in highlighting the gaps in students' knowledge, and that it would be beneficial to use it for all information literacy instruction at TP. Suggested future research could include a study of how much the students retain of IL skills into their third year of study.     

Information Behavior and Japanese Students: How Can an Understanding of the Research Process Lead to Better Information Literacy?

Academic librarians are striving to better serve international students as this emerging population grows on university campuses. Past studies of international students generally focus on linguistic and cultural differences in relation to information literacy skills development. However, it is necessary to go beyond these factors to better serve the population. By using a framework based in information behavior research, the present study investigates the factors that mediate students' behavior and information literacy skills. Practical recommendations based on the findings of an in-depth qualitative study of students' research process are provided.     

Diversity Efforts at the Los Angeles Times: Are Journalists and the Community on the Same Page?

Survey data from Los Angeles Times editorial employees and residents of Los Angeles County were gathered to determine respondents' views of the newspaper's efforts to increase minority coverage, specifically with regard to the market-driven nature of those efforts. How respondents perceive market-driven journalism and the extent to which newsroom and community perceptions of it are similar were specifically addressed. This is an important and neglected area of research. Results suggest that people, whether journalists or readers, neither dismiss nor embrace market-driven journalism outright.     

Online Finding Aids: Are They Practical?

ABSTRACT

This article explores the uses, practicality, and problems involved in creating online finding aids by state-funded university archivists across the nation. It examines various aspects of online finding aids such as financial considerations, its importance as a research tool, timelines, demographics, and use. The more technical side is also explored by inquiring how finding aids are created (e.g., EAD/XML, HTML), whether they have been reformatted before appearing on the web, and what archivists believe are the best methods for their creation. Finally, problems that the participants have encountered along the way are reviewed as well as how archivists dealt with them. The study involved 16 university archivists from state-supported institutions and one from a private university. The research for this article is based on the responses to a 20-question survey that was administered by the author by telephone or e-mail. The research was further supported by an examination of the recent literature that has appeared in archival journals as well as contacting archivists who are working on large online projects. The goal of this article is to assist archivists in identifying potential problems in the development of online finding aids while promoting their presence on the Internet as an important research tool.     

Teaching African Studies Bibliography–Information Literacy for 21st Century Scholars

SUMMARY

Indiana University has a long tradition of teaching African studies bibliography. It began in 1964 with Alan Taylor and was taught successively by Jean Meeh Gosebrink, David Easterbrook, Nancy Schmidt, and, for the last four years, by this author. This article discusses developments of the class as they have been implemented over the last four years. In the past, bibliographic tools in African studies disciplines were scarce, and the goal of the class consequently was to introduce the students to those tools. Nowadays, with the proliferation of sources in the field, both in electronic and print formats, the focus of the class has shifted. While various elements of the class have been maintained, the course now has several new elements, primarily in the form of discussion sessions based on the reading of articles and other sources. The focus of the class is no longer on how to find scarce, hidden materials, but rather to develop strategies and techniques to find a wide variety of materials ranging from print sources to oral accounts in libraries worldwide.     

EBSCO and Summon Discovery Generator Tools: How Accurate Are They?

Most college and university libraries in British Columbia are using either EBSCO or Summon Discovery search services as a “one stop shop” for users to find, save, and cite resources for their projects. The citation generators that both EBSCO and Summon offer simplify the process of inserting citations into essays, however the citations need to be accurate for users to be able to submit citations that are error free. Considering this, this article looks at the accuracy of the citation generators each service offers. A total of twenty resources were picked from student library assignments for print books, eBooks, and articles in APA, Chicago, and MLA styles to determine the number and types of errors that occur for EBSCO and Summon Discovery. The error rate was substantial enough that caution must be used when creating citations using these tools and librarians should advise users that Discovery citation generators cannot be relied upon to provide accurate citations.     

Parenthood,Professorship, and Librarianship: Are They Mutually Exclusive?

A survey of tenure-track and tenured librarians at ARL libraries provides data on the relationship between parenthood and professorship. Results analyze the impact of the promotion and tenure process on child-bearing and child-rearing decisions. Discrepancies are found based on gender, tenure status, and family status.     

Are They Watching? Visitors and Videos in Exhibitions

Abstract Data from the Women's Health summative evaluation video study prompted a comparison with similar data for other videos in exhibitions. Values for attraction power, holding time, and holding power were compiled in a database of 45 video titles. On average, 32 percent of the visitors are attracted to videos, and the average time spent watching is 137 seconds. An attraction power of more than 60 percent was exceptional. On average, people watched more than one‐third of the total length of videos, but less than one half. A holding power of more than .70 was exceptional. Once a video has attracted people's attention, it does not always hold it. Visitors are constantly tempted to move to another exhibit element, looking for what's next. One cannot assume that introductory videos will be watched thoroughly by the majority of visitors. This has implications for introductory videos that are expected to teach visitors concepts and vocabulary necessary to understand the rest of the exhibition or a main message that ties everything together. Using these data as a guideline, we can realistically gauge what levels of use are possible, and what levels of success, as measured by visitors' attention, can be anticipated.     

Still the Same?

This article analyses whether a specific news event is reported differently online compared to print newspapers. The question is hardly new but has increased in importance as more readers pass from print newspapers to online news. The conditions of news selection and production are discussed departing from the theories of market-driven journalism and media logic, and are related to aspects of audience needs and gratifications, as well as professional norms and standards. A content analysis of news reporting during the 2010 Swedish election campaign reveals no significant differences between how major newspapers reported the aspects, issues and actors online compared to in print. Individuals using online news received the same information about the election campaign as those reading the print paper, which indicates a displacing rather than complementary effect of online journalism on print journalism.     

Are Information Seekers and Users Among the General Public at a Crossroads?

Abstract

Presently, eating disorders affect millions of people. Today, the media and the Internet are major publishing channels for consumer health information. Much research has found that the media may offer insufficient information on eating disorders. This research examines the quantity of adult consumer health publications on eating disorders in magazine articles and on the Internet in 1998 and investigates the effectiveness of Internet search engines. The results indicate that the resources found in popular magazines and on the Internet are not adequate, and that the Internet search engines are not effective in searching for information.     

How Well Are We Preparing Them?: An Assessment of First-Year Library Student Assistants’ Information Literacy Skills

Most libraries have fully integrated cadres of student assistants into their daily operations, including helping at points of service. As libraries rely more and more on student assistants, we must maintain exceptional customer service to our users. This requires our student assistants to possess information literacy skills that exceed those of our users. This assessment investigates the information literacy skills of first-year library student assistants when compared to the general first-year student population, and it examines if first-year library student assistants’ information literacy skills increase more than those of their peers during their first semester at college.     

Print Newspapers: Are They Still Being Used in Academic and Research Libraries?

A six-month print newspaper usage study at the University of Michigan's Hatcher Graduate Library showed a marked decrease in use from a more limited study done four years previously. In general, patrons used only the major national, international, and regional newspapers. Communications with other academic and research libraries confirm these findings.     

Inciting Curiosity and Creating Meaning: Teaching Information Evaluation through the Lens of “Bad Science”

Ability to evaluate information is a critical component of information literacy. This article provides strategies for engaging students in learning about information evaluation in the contexts of the scientific publication cycle and communication in the digital age. Also included are recent findings regarding undergraduate student research behavior and ideas for integrating constructivist learning theory in order to develop effective learning activities that encourage curiosity and critical thinking.     

Exploring Library Discovery Positions: Are They Emerging or Converging?

Web-scale discovery service systems and platforms are continuing to evolve and become more commonly adopted in academic libraries. Functioning as more than next-generation catalogs due to their volume and associated Web services, they invite strategic inquiry and launch libraries into deeper questioning and continuous critical thinking concerning discovery system best practices. This article explores emerging library discovery positions and discovery requirements gleaned through position postings from Autocat, Code4Lib, ERIL-L, and NGC4Lib listserv e-mails, from February 2012 through July 2014, along with a 2013 scan of Association of Research Library (ARL) staff directories’ Web sites. As seen through the lens of recent discovery position postings and names of discovery positions at ARL libraries, staffing solutions suggest strategic oversight and deep understanding of discovery systems, metadata, and users. This study of 36 discovery positions reveals directors or managers as comprising the highest number with ten (28 percent), systems with eight (22 percent), cataloging and metadata with seven (19 percent), acquisitions or electronic resources with five (14 percent), user experiences with three (8 percent), access services with two (6 percent), and general technical services with one (3 percent). These emerging discovery positions traverse both traditional technical and public services functions, with the majority, 26 (72 percent), from large research-level institutions.