Students' Perceptions of Academic Librarians

Summary

Academic librarians, eager to participate in the education of college students, have been researching library anxiety, students' aversion to asking questions, and other problems with interactions between students and library staff for decades. Misconceptions about librarians' professional status, teaching roles, knowledge and expertise, and attitudes toward students are often proposed as causes of dysfunctional interactions and as reasons why some students don't ask questions. It is important for students to know that librarians are willing and able to help, so that they feel free to ask questions that will help them advance their education. This study reports the findings of a survey of 48 undergraduate students regarding their perceptions of academic librarians, and discusses ideas for addressing existing misconceptions.     

The Enhanced and Changing Role of the Specialist Librarian

Summary

Much like the role of other academic librarians, the education librarian's responsibilities are in a constant state of transition. Major factors contributing to these changes are demands being placed on teacher training programs in colleges of education, demands placed on teachers and administrators in the nation's schools, demographic shifts, globalization, declining accessibility of resources along with the digital divide, and, most of all, greater demands for accountability of student achievement at all levels of education.

The work of the education librarian has become more integrated in the creation and access of knowledge both in the library profession, and education itself. Education librarians not only have close ties to school curriculum being taught but also with the preparation of preservice teachers, students enrolled in advanced graduate studies, and the education researcher. This article will review the literature on the role of the education subject specialist in librarianship, and how that role has been changed due to a variety of reasons. Findings will be discussed from an informal survey on how education librarians perceive their roles in their institutions.     

Information Literacy in Pre-Service Teacher Education

Abstract

This annotated bibliography presents a review of articles published on the topic of information literacy in teacher education since the late 1980s. Many of the articles outline concerns about pre-service teachers who graduate with insufficient information literacy skills, who are unprepared to teach these skills to their future students, and who do not understand the role of the school librarian as an instructional collaborator. On the other hand, many articles describe innovative and successful programs where exposure to librarians, integration of information literacy instruction, attention to library research, or introduction of a process approach to information use can produce new teachers who are equipped to collaborate with school librarians and to teach information literacy skills to their students.     

How's the Water?

There has been little literature written about the on-the-job training of reference librarians. This article includes a survey of training practices in the Albany, New York area. As with a previous national survey, the findings indicate that new reference librarians are not receiving basic training components.     

Standing at the Gates: A New Law Librarian Wonders About the Future Role of the Profession in Legal Research Education

ABSTRACT

There have long been complaints about the legal research skills of law school students and recent graduates. In this article the author focuses on the period between the release of two important reports on legal education, the MacCrate Report in 1992 and the Carnegie Report in 2007, examining how law librarians and other professionals involved were engaged in responding to the problem. The author concludes that if law librarians want to be involved more fully in legal research education, some changes or reexamination of our professional culture and positions may be necessary.     

Librarians' Changing Role in Distance Education

Abstract

Distance education is a learner-centered system of education. The librarians engage in developing and delivery of services in distance education relevant to both content and process. Librarians need to recognize the role of modern information technologies as learning resources in students' learning pursuits. This represents a major shift from a conventional model of the library-centered didactic style to a more learner-centered and task-based facilitating style. This change needs effective training of the professionals engaged in distance librari-anship. The paper analyzes the present day role of librarians in distance education in India; discusses the rationale for the training of librarians involved in distance education; and finds out the areas of training, and methods and strategies that are to be adopted in the distance education institutions in the country.     

Analyzing Recorded Transactions to Extrapolate the Required Knowledge,Skills, and Abilities of Reference Desk Providers at an Urban,Academic/Public Library

ABSTRACT

Much has been written about the competencies that reference providers must exhibit to be successful at their positions given today's technology-rich, information environment. Many have proclaimed new mandatory technological and attitudinal qualities for librarians, while others have interviewed future, practicing, and hiring librarians for their perspectives on this topic. This study adds to the existing literature by examining a dataset of 9,683 recorded reference transactions collected during the fall 2012 semester in an urban, academic/public library. This dataset provides a very current look at the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities that reference providers need to be successful at this library.     

“Be All That You Can Be”

Abstract

Library school provides librarians with a good background in library science, but to be a professional reference librarian, continuous improvement must be sought. Professionalism can include developing basic employee skills, supporting library standards, participating in university and library functions; presenting papers; and publishing. Being sensitive to communication skills can impact how a librarian is perceived by library users. Image does play a role in the effectiveness of the library professional.

Professional reference librarians must market themselves by being visible on campus, in the community, and on the Internet. Being a professional librarian is an opportunity for personal growth and educating the public about a very exciting discipline.     

Creating Web Portals for a Multi-Type Library System

Abstract

Institutions of higher education are among the most prominent proponents of portals. A group of resident librarians at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has targeted a larger audience by creating a customized Web portal to be used by library patrons throughout the Chicago area, whether they are academic, public, school or special library users. The portal project has raised issues of maintenance and administration, as well as those of the collaborative process between libraries in a system.     

Career Paths of Distance Education Librarians

ABSTRACT

A growing number of institutions are offering courses and degrees via distance education; however, distance education librarianship is a relatively new and often less defined field of librarianship. This paper will present the results of a survey to discover career paths leading to distance education librarianship. Based on a survey of subscribers to the OFFCAMP listserv, it asked questions such as: Is there a “typical” career path? Does previous or continuing work in other library units benefit a distance education librarian? What are the most important qualifications for a distance education librarian? Profiles of the education and experience of distance education librarians were analyzed for commonalities. The study concluded that distance education librarians come to their positions from a variety of experience, not always in libraries, but predominantly from library public service departments. A typical career path for distance education librarians is not evident at this time.     

Collaboration: The Key to Unlocking the Dilemma of Distance Reference Services

SUMMARY

Distant education offerings are growing at a phenomenal rate for academic institutions, creating new groups of library users that are remote from the main campus with unique library and research needs. Recent studies examining the needs of this unique and growing population note that reference and research assistance are key services needed. Many institutions have appointed or hired distance education librarians to help provide services to distant learners. They are often, however, one-person operations that function more as coordinators rather than full-service providers. Since the coordinator cannot provide all of the reference services alone, the key to providing these services for distant education students is to create and sustain good working relationships both in the library and with external entities. Offerings to distance students include phone reference and accessibility to online resources, plus virtual reference and often 24/7 services. This article will examine issues and experiences in bringing together different groups to provide reference services to distant learning communities. It will also describe key relationships necessary for keeping distance reference services at an optimal level.     

Phyllostachys Aurea— Didn't He Work with Socrates?

Abstract

Over half of all science librarians do not have science degrees. The author-one of these non-science science librarians-offers some stories and some advice about how a humanities major navigates the complex world of reference work in a science library.     

The 21st Century Reference Department

Abstract

Reference service in academic libraries has evolved over the years from what was the “reference interview” to the kind of service transaction which takes many forms and involves numerous information resources and the highest librarian expertise in some situations. Reference is more versatile now than ever, and this may be attributed to the abundance of resources and the multitude of ways librarians can acquire access to needed information. Coordination of efforts, expertise, and resources can make a great reference department function efficiently and effectively. College and university libraries with huge reference departments may need reference managers or heads of reference to manage them, but there are smaller libraries with small reference departments which employ less than five reference librarians. Managing these small libraries with an even smaller pool of reference librarians may not seem as complicated as managing large ones.

The head of reference position is an important one in the library, both for the staff and for the users served. This article will try to present views on the qualities, qualifications, and requirements which the head of reference should possess in the 21st century.     

“I Got the Job! Now What Do I Do?”

Abstract

New reference librarians should not expect to be passive participants in their orientations. As evidenced in current literature, few libraries are able to provide the time and resources needed to fully orient and train their staff. Therefore, librarians should take an active role in planning and implementing their own training. This article provides tips for developing a self-training plan for new reference librarians.     

Challenges of getting faculty status: Perception of university librarians in Pakistan

Abstract

Objective:To find out the university head librarians’ perceptions about the issues in getting faculty status.

Methodology:A qualitative research design was used to explore the issue through personal and telephonic interviews with 15 chief librarians of 18 university libraries located in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The textual data was content-analyzed and coded. The emerged themes and subthemes have been presented with the frequency of their occurrences. The findings have been supported by the selected quotations of the interviewees.

Findings:A majority of the librarians had vague understanding of the notion of faculty status. Almost all of them desired for granting faculty status to the university librarians. However, their opinion was divided on the prerequisites for faculty status. Most of them supported the same criteria for employment and promotion of faculty librarians, as is used in case of their teaching faculty counterparts. The study has identified that the main barriers in getting faculty status are the librarians themselves, lacking preparedness in terms of qualifications and research output.

Implications:The study brings into light both the possibilities of granting faculty status to the university librarians and barriers in this regard. Besides, the findings though extracted from a small number of respondents, may be of interest to other countries in the region.

Originality/value:This exploratory investigation identifies barriers in getting faculty status and is the first ever study on the subject in the local literature.

Conclusion:Faculty status will help in improving visibility, image and respect of librarians. Therefore, there is a need to prepare university librarians for faculty status, and to struggle for getting it.     

The Disaster Information Specialist: An Emerging Role for Health Librarians

ABSTRACT

This article describes the emergence of disaster information (DI) specialists, with particular focus on their presence in health libraries. Although literature on the subject of disasters and libraries is dominated by accounts of librarians preserving collections and ensuring continuity of library operations following a flood, fire, or other disaster event, the work of DI specialists extends beyond these traditional roles. DI specialists conduct outreach in the community, providing information services to emergency managers and other disaster workers. This article recounts a history of disaster information service in which public librarians served communities during disaster recovery periods, and health librarians became involved in organizational disaster planning activities. DI products from the National Library of Medicine are introduced in addition to federal funding opportunities for DI outreach projects. The development of the Medical Library Association's Disaster Information Specialization Program is presented, and the article shares recommendations for library administrators to encourage DI training for librarians and support the development of outreach services to disaster workers.     

Library-Led Faculty Workshops: Helping Distance Educators Meet Information Literacy Goals in the Online Classroom

ABSTRACT

At University of Maryland University College (UMUC), librarians have designed and led a number of multiday, asynchronous online workshops for faculty. The workshops teach faculty how to meet information literacy goals in the virtual classroom. Through hands-on activities and discussion among their colleagues, participants in the faculty workshops learn about the university's information literacy standards, library resources and services, free Web tools, and how best to design class assignments involving library research. Library-led faculty workshops at UMUC have increased library visibility and furthered collaboration between faculty and librarians. This article discusses 5 workshops, detailing workshop content and logistics and demonstrating how librarians can help distance faculty further information literacy goals for students.     

数字时代图书馆馆员继续教育培训的思考与实践

多媒体技术和网络通信技术的飞速发展使图书馆在收集、利用信息的手段和方式上都发生了重大的变化,对图书馆馆员提出了更高的要求。因此,提升图书馆馆员的素质和能力,加强图书馆馆员的继续教育和培训以适应数字时代图书馆事业发展的需要成为本世纪的重要课题。文章以同济大学图书馆为例,论述了对数字时代图书馆馆员进行分层次培训的思路和操作方式。     

Librarians in the Classroom

SUMMARY

This article reports on a survey conducted by the author to determine how librarians and library directors feel about librarians teaching outside the library, i.e., in academic disciplines. The author discusses her own experience in the classroom and examines the benefits and detriments of the “professor librarian” model. She includes comments from those surveyed, and offers suggestions for further study.     

Strengthening professional expertise: Mentoring in knowledge transfer,the cataloguers’ perspective

Abstract

University libraries provide support for institutions to achieve their objectives. To realise these objectives, universities allocate considerable funds for the library’s development and provision of needed resources that support teaching/research activities. This is for the simple reason that a university’s excellence is synonymous with the effectiveness of its library services. Hence, there is a need for continuous training and retraining for retention of librarians who manage the libraries to achieve the university’s objectives. Of the few on-the-job training models, mentoring as a Continuing Professional Development programme for librarians in a university library has often been overlooked. This study surveys the uses of mentoring in knowledge transfer for cataloguing, managerial, and research skills development for cataloguers in Nigerian academic libraries. The findings show that mentoring as a tool for knowledge transfer influences cataloguers and their skills development. The result indicates that mentoring in knowledge transfer has a moderate to strong correlation with skills development, and it improves catalouers’ proficiency and overall development.