Impact and Implications of a Library-Use Integrated Education Program

The reactions to a Graduate Council recommendation for the removal of professional librarians from scheduled duty at the reference desks are reported and the effects of its implementation on reference-related activities, such as bibliographic instruction, are explored. The genesis and development of a pilot program of course-integrated bibliographic instruction for the College of Education at Brigham Young University are described as is the impact the program has already had on the library. Plans for future directions of the program are discussed and the implications for the library are considered.     

U.S. Agricultural statistics on the Internet: Extending the reach of the depository library

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economics and Statistics System is a shared venture between Albert R. Mann Library and the three USDA economic agencies. For almost two years, this successful service has made a growing collection of government-produced agricultural statistics available free of charge via the Internet. The Library provides a value-added service by organizing the data, providing reference support to the information, and preserving the information for future access. Methods for incorporating electronic information into the day-to-day activities of the depository collection are discussed, including staff training, bibliographic control, and reference support. This service is presented as a model to facilitate discussion about a future electronic depository program.     

A Practicum in Internet Training

Abstract

By designing an innovative practicum for a graduate information science student, a library can provide Internet training tailored to fit the specific needs of its college faculty and staff. In addition to program credit, a student gains bibliographic instruction experience in a real world, evolving library environment, and both institution and student benefit from a project that addresses the genuine needs of the institution.     

Noodling Down the Internet:

Some of the problems created by the introduction of the Internet to library services are discussed. These include problems with the structure of the Internet, library staff issues, an analysis of the preparedness of current users for the Internet, and bibliographic instruction impact.     

Report of a cooperative venture between the China Medical University library and the medical library of McGill University

In March/April 1986, the medical library at McGill University in Montreal, Canada signed a cooperative agreement with the China Medical University (CMU) Library in Shenyang, China. This paper analyzes the operations of the CMU library within the context of the Chinese system of medical education, health care delivery, and medical librarianship. The CMU library is described in terms of collections, cataloging procedures, filing, public services (reference, bibliographic instruction, circulation, copy service), interlibrary loans, networking, conservation of materials, and personnel. Some interesting comparisons are made between the two libraries with respect to holdings, services provided, and training of staff. The plans for future cooperation are outlined.     

Who is blocking access to PubMed? Educational ‘Escape Room’ for medical residents

Teaching students how to conduct bibliographic searches in health sciences’ databases is essential training. One of the challenges librarians face is how to motivate students during classroom learning. In this article, two hospital libraries, in Spain, used Escape rooms as a method of bringing creativity, teamwork, communication and critical thinking into bibliographic search instruction. Escape rooms are a series of puzzles that must be solved to exit the game. This article explores the methods used for integrating escape rooms into training programmes and evaluates the results. Escape Rooms are a useful tool that can be integrated into residents’ training to support their instruction on bibliographic searches. This kind of learning stablishes competences like logical thinking and deductive approaching. These aspects aid participants to make their own decision and to develop social and intellectual skills.     

LIFENET/INTERNET and the health science librarian

The Medical Library Center of New York, a cooperative library agency for the health sciences, developed a program to offer an electronic communications system (LIFENET) with access to the Internet for its members. Information on documentation and training as well as statistics on the subsequent use of the system and of the Internet are discussed in the article. Specific examples of how health science librarians are using the system include bibliographic verification, reference, research on integrated library systems, production of duplicate journal lists, and professional activities such as electronic mail and discussion groups (listservs).     

Bibliographic instruction in the hospital library

The nature of bibliographic instruction in this hospital library continues to evolve. As the library makes easy-to-master, menu-driven tools for online searching available to end users, the demand for this service and the accompanying training increases. The demand for formal sessions covering research techniques is also increasing. Upon request, the library offered an extended research orientation to the housestaff in Obstetrics and Gynecology in May of 1993. An introduction to the use of CD-ROM was included to highlight its usefulness for citation verification, author searches, and for periodic current awareness searches on a particular topic. The UMH Library staff strive to offer the most current and comprehensive facilities and services to their users. These include automated access to the library's book, journal, and audiovisual holdings using the Data Trek system; online bibliographic searching by library staff and end users using CD Plus MEDLINE on CD-ROM and Grateful MED software; participation in clinical rounds to provide research support for clinical care; and several types of bibliographic instruction. In addition to the informal teaching of library research techniques that the library staff offers on a daily basis, the Library at Union Memorial Hospital is pleased to be able to provide a formalized and evolving bibliographic instruction program.     

Bibliographic Instruction:

In April, 1994 Mercy College completed an extended self-study in preparation for a team visit from The Commission on Higher Education, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. This article examines the impact of institutional evaluation on the library's bibliographic instruction program, and its evolution into an information literacy program responsive to changes in student demographics, curriculum content, assessment methods, and communication technologies. Three initiatives are described: (1) an effort to increase course-integrated information literacy instruction in the general education requirement; (2) development of an information literacy assessment plan; and (3) recruitment and training of information literacy peer tutors to assist public services librarians. Although still in a formative stage, eight future directions are recommended for successful implementation.     

Tales untold: The connection between instruction and reference services

This article examines the relationship between bibliographic instruction and reference services. It provides historical definitions for the two services, reviews selected literature that comments on this relationship, and, in turn, considers questions that librarians might ponder as they look at the relationship between reference and instruction in the age of information literacy. The results of a survey distributed to and completed by libraries in the Southeast provide information about how these libraries are making connections between the two services. Finally, recommendations for improving the teaching of information literacy at the reference desk and in instruction classes are provided.     

Reference Expertise:

Past trends in reference instruction, query analysis and proliferation of reference tools classed by primary functions into a general typology anticipated the use of paradigm logic, templates, search strategies, and systematic searching in applied Artificial Intelligence research and design of expert system, especially referral and decision-support systems. The approach, methodologies, and technique employed in basic reference and subject-area reference instruction in four graduate library schools, developed first at the University of Maryland after 1976, are reviewed. The advantages and limitations of the latter are discussed to suggest the interplay of personal service, manual tools, and computerized systems for holistic reference programs. Librarians' transition to the automated tools using AI methods might be improved by introducing paradigms, typologies, strategies, and a systems approach in reference instruction for professionals and more generally in bibliographic instruction.     

Evaluating Library Instruction in Academic Libraries:

This study reviews the literature on the evaluation of bibliographic instruction in academic libraries from 1980 to 1993. Four main issues are discussed: (1) the reasons why librarians are evaluating, (2) to what degree they are evaluating, (3) what specific aspects they are evaluating, and (4) which methodologies are being used. Results indicate that, despite a growing interest in the evaluation of bibliographic instruction, the same pattern of limited systematic evaluation identified in 1980 continues to exist. Barriers to the successful implementation of evaluation, as well as possible directions for the future, are also presented.     

The Impact of the Internet

Summary

The Internet has brought great changes to reference services in academic libraries. One significant impact has been the growth and evolution of the reference librarian's role as teacher. This article reviews the literature on the librarian's increased teaching role with the emergence of the Internet, discusses the changing student populations who require a librarian's instruction and the skills that students need to achieve information literacy, and reviews how the Internet has affected current teaching strategies including classroom instruction, Web-based instruction, and efforts to integrate information literacy instruction into the curriculum. In addition, it also introduces emerging Internet technologies with their potential impact on teaching and instruction. The authors conclude that the reference librarian's teaching role will further increase with the development of information technologies.     

Structures of Bibliographic Instruction Programs:

Five structures of bibliographic instruction programs have emerged over the past twenty years: orientation; course-related instruction; course-integrated instruction; team teaching; and, separate courses. Defined by the level of cooperation between and among librarians, departmental faculty, and university administrators, the structures can be viewed on a continuum of cooperation when planning and selecting a structure for bibliographic instruction programs. This paper presents the five structures, details the requirements for cooperation, and discusses how the structures can be used to guide the development of bibliographic instruction programs.     

Reflections on Maturity:

The introduction to this new volume on bibliographic instruction (BI) explores the progress, status, and challenge of BI over the past decade and on into the future.     

The Internet and Reference Librarians:

This paper examines the efforts of the McGill University Humanities and Social Sciences Library Reference staff to integrate the use of resources found on the hernet with traditional reference duties. It also discusses the Internet instruction workshops designed and implemented by reference staff to help librarians and the university community understand and navigate the Internet. The relationship with McGill's Computing Centre and Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology is examined and a case is made for increased collaboration with other areas concerning Internet instruction and use. Lastly, the proactive role of reference staff concerning the introduction of the Internet to other library staff and to the university community is also discussed.     

The History of Bibliographic Instruction:

Bibliographic instruction in academic libraries can be traced back to the pre-Civil War era in the United States. Since that time, changes in bibliographic instruction and its perception to librarians, administrators, and faculty have occurred due to emerging technology and new teaching ideas. In the past hundred years, several librarians have promoted bibliographic instruction in a variety of formats and styles. The literature in library science illustrates similarities and differences in concerns and issues of bibliographic instruction throughout its history. The writings show how far bibliographic instruction has progressed. What began as an activity in scattered libraries has become an accepted (and expected) library service with its own theory and literature.     

User education in academic libraries of China

For the last 10 years, much progress in higher education, as well as information access has been made. But one of the serious problems is that many users of academic and research libraries are unaware of the importance of scientific and technical information, and lack essential knowledge and skills to locate materials. Therefore, development of library user education has been emphasized and supported by the government in China. For the future users the Ministry of Education has required college and university libraries to develop courses of bibliographic instruction, and has sponsored symposiums for exchange experiences among the university and college libraries. So far, the courses of bibliographic instructions have been established in more than half of the universities and colleges in China.However, for the large numbers of students waiting to obtain user education training, both facilities and instructors are inadequate. It is necessary for schools of library science in China to develop professional course work for the education of instructors in library user education.     

Serialists on the Front Line

Serials and technical services librarians are in a unique position to share valuable expertise in public service and bibliographic instruction settings. Skills learned in the organization of information and experiences with electronic resources such as e-journals, databases, and the Internet, translate well into the user services arena. Several serials librarians, who have worked in both technical and public service positions, discuss the professional and personal rewards of public services.