Faculty Outreach

Abstract

Librarians at Northwest Vista College, a new community college, speculated that keeping faculty members informed about the library and its various resources would result in more instructors sending students to the library for library instruction and, ultimately, it would result in more students who were familiar with and comfortable using the library. This paper describes the librarians' comprehensive faculty outreach effort, which involved putting on special workshops for faculty, creating online forms, and Web links on the library Web page, and taking every opportunity to increase contact and collaboration between librarians and Other faculty and Staff.     

Exploring academic librarians' perception of OER through the lens of technology acceptance model

Academic librarians' professional skills make them an ideal candidate to work with faculty in the exploration, adoption, promotion, and preservation of open educational resources (OER). This study used the technology acceptance model (TAM) to explain and predict librarians' attitudes towards OER and their intentions towards utilization in instructional design practices and teaching pedagogies. A total of 213 academic librarians participated in the mixed-methods design study. The results reveal that perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), and self-efficacy (SE) as it relates to OER accounted for 51 % of the variance in librarians' attitude (AT) towards OER. Moreover, librarians' AT and SE towards OER accounted for 55 % of the variance in their Intentions (IN) to leverage OER. These results support the use of TAM to support likelihood of users to utilize OER. Furthermore, participants' responses on open-ended questions reflected a variety of experiences and opinions, expressed concerns and challenges of promoting OER. In conclusion, in accordance with previous studies, state the necessity of librarians to possess the knowledge, skills, and appreciation of these resources to increase their likelihood of adoption. There is an undeniable need for continual education and support regarding the implementation of OER.     

Bridging the Great Divide: Librarian-faculty Collaboration in Selected Higher Institutions in Lagos State Nigeria

This paper examines librarian-faculty collaboration in selected academic libraries in Lagos State, Nigeria. Simple random sampling method was used to select five out of a total population of nine higher institutions in Lagos State. Questionnaire was used as the major instrument for data gathering among librarians in the selected institutions. The study found that librarians are willing to collaborate with faculty in the areas of providing Current Awareness Services (CAS), working with accreditation teams, and helping to develop both the media and information literacy skills of students. The study also found that librarians believe that faculty board meetings and library committee initiatives are effective platforms for promoting librarian faculty collaboration. Further, the study identified essential skills for librarian-faculty collaboration. Overall, findings show that a weak negative correlation exists between gender and area of collaboration at N?=?38, r?=??0.136, p?<?0.05. The survey also found a significant weak negative relationship between age and area of collaboration (N?=?38, r?=??0.379, p?<?0.05). No significant relationship was found between work experience and area of collaboration (r?=??0.067, p?=?0.696?>?0.05). The study therefore suggests that stakeholders in higher education should imbibe the culture of expanding and strengthening collaboration between librarians and faculty.     

Faculty and Librarian Perceptions of a New Faculty Purchase Program

This study explores new faculty members' and librarians' perceptions of a program that provides each new faculty member with funds to purchase materials supporting their teaching and scholarship. The article describes the results of a survey of perceptions of the faculty and librarians who have participated in the program at Illinois State University. The findings suggest that the program has not been successful as a recruitment tool but has been very valuable for establishing early and strong subject liaison relationships with new faculty members.     

Self-Efficacy of Academic Librarians: Implications for Public Services Managers

The question of academic librarian status has resulted in academic librarians approaching relationships with faculty as one of deference, where they cede power to disciplinary faculty regardless of their own expertise. To date, no research has explored why academic librarians engage in deference behavior when working with disciplinary faculty. Self-efficacy, a person's beliefs in their ability to perform a task, may be an appropriate theoretical framework to begin exploring this behavior. This pilot study explores the perceived self-efficacy of Colorado academic librarians holding an instruction and/or liaison role (n = 68) in order to examine academic librarians' levels of perceived self-efficacy and its relationship to faculty status and years in profession. Results indicate that there is not a significant relationship between perceived self-efficacy and faculty status or years in profession but that gender is significantly associated with perceived self-efficacy. Results also indicate a change in self-efficacy as library faculty progress between faculty ranks. Avenues for future research on academic librarian self-efficacy are suggested and implications for public services managers are discussed.     

Collaborate or Die! Collection Development in Today's Academic Library

SUMMARY

The practice of collection development faces many challenges in the present and likely future library environment. The following text presents concepts for collaboration as viable solutions to these challenges for collection development in academic libraries. In particular, a model of collaboration involving department faculty representatives and library liaisons is discussed. Consulting professional literature on this topic has offered insight into the establishment of librarian-faculty relationships, the process of collaboration, benefits of collaboration, as well as problems that may result from such cooperative relationships. Examples are illustrated from experiences at three academic libraries: University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of South Florida, and Hillsborough Community College.     

Serials Report

Abstract

An exploratory study of the information-seeking experiences of women's studies faculty provided interesting insights into their use and collection of periodical literature. Using in-depth interviews and observations, as well as postings from a listserv, the study identified problems, influences, and expectations involved in faculty's daily work with magazines and journals.     

They think all of this is new: Leveraging librarians' project management skills for the digital humanities

ABSTRACT

This article will explore how to develop the holistic project management planning (PMP) mindset in different parts of the library when undertaking digital humanities (DH) projects. PMP skills do exist within libraries and librarians, but organizational alignment typically does not allow for the most effective applications of librarians' PMP skills to DH projects. This article will explore how the skills of public services librarians, technical services librarians and administrative librarians align with the PMP phases and the challenges that each kind of librarian has to overcome in completing successful DH projects.     

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.     

The Difficult Patron in the Academic Library

Summary

Faculty members depend on the resources and services provided by the libraries to teach, satisfy the curricular needs of the students, and conduct their research. Students need the library for many reasons, among which are to complete their assignments and to expand on what faculty covers in class. The patron/librarian relationship in the academic library is not always perfect. Issues which students and faculty face in the academic library environment are completely different from those in the public library. Identifying the characteristics of the difficult or problem patron in academia is a little more difficult than in the public library. Are what librarians face when dealing with faculty and students more issue-related than just dealing with problem patrons? The authors will identify, from the librarians' perspectives, some of these often called difficult patron issues and offer solutions to try and preempt these issues before they become problems.     

The Origins of the Freedom to Read Foundation: Public Librarians' Campaign to Establish a Legal Defense against Library Censorship

This article examines public librarians' experiences with attempted censorship, including their dismay, anger, and disappointment with fellow librarians and their professional organizations, which those under attack found apathetic in safeguarding user rights and protecting their jobs as library professionals. Some of these librarians became the activists who campaigned for the creation of the American Library Association's (ALA) legal defense machinery, along with other primarily young progressive librarians, who pushed forward their own agenda. This study highlights these public librarians' struggles, which made the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) and ALA leading professional organizations in championing intellectual freedom. The study focuses on cases that shaped ALA's policy that led to the establishment of a defense mechanism for librarians in the late 1960s and 1970s. It also examines the extent to which ALA upheld the organization's professional credo and its members' rights.     

The True Benefit of Faculty Status for Academic Reference Librarians

Faculty status means having the same privileges of rank, promotion, tenure, compensation, leaves, and research funds as other faculty. Arguments against faculty status include that focusing on status detracts from librarians' mission of providing access to information; that the rigorous requirements of faculty status are not something that librarians are prepared or qualified to pursue; and that good librarians would be just as good without faculty status. These arguments can also be used in favor of faculty status, especially as it relates to increasing the quantity and quality of library and information science literature and contributions by academic librarians.     

GIS and the humanities: Presenting a path to digital scholarship with the Story Map app

ABSTRACT

Working collaboratively, a scholarly resources librarian and a subject liaison librarian at a small, public liberal arts college have created a GIS story mapping workshop for fellow information professionals. Using GIS, the librarians are bridging the gap between humanities and sciences in a liberal arts environment. The librarians' experience of being introduced to GIS and creating training for others enabled them to support their library's data services and digital scholarship initiatives. By helping connect the humanities with science and technology using story maps, librarians can create a neutral environment for learners to conduct interdisciplinary research and develop spatial literacy.     

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.     

Online information literacy instruction in Mexican university libraries: The librarians' point of view

Online information literacy instruction is becoming increasingly popular among university libraries, although the level of its development varies from institution to institution. In this study, we seek to ascertain implementation levels for online information literacy instruction among university libraries in Mexico, as well as librarians' experiences, opinions, and attitudes with regard to this instruction modality. To this end, we analyzed data collected between November 2015 and January 2016 through a survey that was sent to 559 libraries at Mexican public universities and completed by 189 librarians. The results show a limited development of information literacy instruction in general and in online instruction in particular, despite the recognition of its importance and usefulness. The main barriers to implementation that were identified were a lack of technological resources and of personnel qualified to undertake these tasks. The main challenges that the libraries that do provide online instruction have had to face are related to a lack of institutional support, a lack of cooperation on the part of faculty members, students' motivation, and librarians' expertise.     

Evidence-based librarianship (EBL) in e-resources acquisition: How concerned are librarians?

E-resources acquisition is a prevalent topic in the global economic crisis. To ensure the continuity of e-resources, librarians venture into various approaches, including evidence-based librarianship (EBL). This study reports librarians' concerns about EBL implementation during the acquisition process. The Concern-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) tools, including the modified Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ) and the Quick Scoring Device, were used to measure the individual librarian stages of concern. The results indicate that the scores for librarians' concerns are at the peak in stage 2 (Self), followed by stage 5 (Collaboration), stage 3 (Management), stage 1 (Informational), and stage 6 (Refocusing), with the lowest score at stage 0 (Unconcern). The findings demonstrate that librarians are more concerned about how EBL implementation could affect themselves (as in Stage 2 (Self)) in performing their tasks as librarians. The results are significant in providing perspectives on individual librarians' sensitivity to EBL implementation as an innovation in their work processes.     

Medical librarians' knowledge and practices in locating clinical trials for systematic reviews

Objective:In regard to locating clinical trials for a systematic review, limited information is available about how librarians locate clinical trials in biomedical databases, including (1) how much information researchers provide librarians to assist with the development of a comprehensive search strategy, (2) which tools librarians turn to for information about study design methodology, and (3) librarians'' confidence levels in their knowledge of study design methodology. A survey was developed to explore these aspects of how a medical librarian locates clinical trials when facilitating systematic reviews for researchers.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, a 21-question survey was sent to medical librarians via several email listservs during April 2020. Respondents were limited to librarians who make the decisions on search terms for systematic reviews.Results:Responses (n=120) indicated that librarians were often asked to search for various types of clinical trials. However, there was not a consistent method for creating search strategies that locate diverse types of clinical trials. Multiple methods were used for search strategy development, with hedges being the most popular method. In general, these librarians considered themselves to be confident in locating trials. Different resources were used to inform study types, including textbooks, articles, library guides and websites.Discussion:Medical librarians indicated that while they felt confident in their searching skills, they did not have a definitive source of information about the various types of clinical trials, and their responses demonstrated a clear need and desire for more information on study design methodology.     

Continuing professional development as transformational learning: A case study

The case study explores librarians experiences of learning pedagogical skills. The innovative professional development course was designed to equip librarians with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to deliver learner-centred training. Unlike the traditional ‘one-size-fits all’ model of professional development, this particular model provided librarians with opportunities to collaborate with their colleagues, share experiences, and to reflect on their instructional practices. The study employed qualitative research methods within a case study framework. The transformative learning theory provides the theoretical lens through which to understand librarians' learning experiences. Data gathering techniques included document analysis, observation and individual semi-structured interviews. Ten participants were purposively selected. Findings from this study have shown that the participants changed their attitudes towards teaching and learning, became confident, and improved their instructional practices. The study concluded that meaningful adult learning experiences have the potential to transform librarians' professional practice. In addition, a contextually responsive professional development programme, adequately supported by library management, is likely to provide an effective continuing professional development model.     

Reference Services: Meeting the Needs of International Adult Learners

Summary

International adult learners constitute a very large percentage of the international student and scholar population in the United States. The ability of this adult group to use libraries is hampered not only by their language, cultural and educational barriers, but also by librarians' limited understanding of their differences in learning styles. The relationship between learning styles and the methods of instructing them in library use is addressed in this paper. Recommendations for training and instruction of librarians on meeting the needs of this culturally diverse group are also provided.     

Why Social Interaction and Good Communication in Academic Libraries Matters

SUMMARY

In these times of extraordinary development in information and communication technologies (ICT) many new tools and services, and traditional tools, such as the catalog, could be developed or enhanced by librarians to effectively support the academic community in teaching and learning. This paper will discuss how social interaction between technical and public service librarians could enhance library services to the academic faculty and students during these demanding times of technologies and information overload. The paper will also point out that the team approach to library services can improve social interaction between librarians when the perpetuation of the traditional academic organizational model is not efficient enough for the faculty and students' need-driven use of information. Rapid changes resulting from ICT demand constant social interaction that would be facilitated by establishing working teams for specific tasks.