Training engaged student employees: A small college library experience

Student employees are often the first people patrons contact when they enter an academic library, and thus their knowledge level and service skills are crucial to academic library success. This article presents a case study of the job-related knowledge and customer service skills of undergraduate student employees in a small liberal arts college after the implementation of a training program more focused on patron service. Both successes and failures are discussed.     

Insourcing library outreach: Engaging technical services in outreach to student organizations

Abstract

In recent years, library outreach has become an increasingly important aspect of public services work. In order to expand capacity and engage patrons, libraries should consider expanding their library outreach programs to include the efforts and expertise of technical services personnel. In this article, librarians from Texas A&M University will share how public services librarians, cataloging experts, and preservation librarians collaborated to provide support for a student-led textbook lending library for student veterans. Through this collaboration, the library was able to develop new outreach opportunities that highlighted technical services expertise as well as lend support to an important campus effort to improve the affordability of college textbooks for veterans.     

Single service points in libraries: A review

ABSTRACT

As libraries of all types and sizes continue to re-envision themselves to remain relevant in a rapidly changing information landscape, the single service point is visible evidence of this effort. In a complex environment, combining formerly disparate functional or service units is for many libraries both an innovative and effective way to manage resources and services. It is the intent of this overview to look beyond these issues to find similarities in theme and application that may be useful for those considering implementation of a one-stop model.     

高校图书馆对弱势学生群体知识援助策略研究

对高校弱势学生群体实施知识援助是？肖除学生贫困的有力措施,是实现社会公正与和谐发展的重要途径之一。文章就高校弱势学生群体产生的原因及现状做了阐述,并就高校图书馆对弱势学生群体实施知识援助提出若干具体措施。     

Ethnographic perspectives on student-centeredness in an academic library

This ethnographic study, conducted by undergraduate student-researchers under the supervision of the author, investigates an academic library that has implemented best practices for learning commons design and embedded information literacy programs. Data from field observations, participant interviews, and artifact analysis revealed conflicting perceptions of student-centeredness as it relates to learning commons design and information literacy pedagogy. The author argues that while the learning commons has been successful in attracting students to the library, there are unintended negative consequences to cross-training librarians, library staff, and partner service personnel working at key service points, which contribute to students’ lack of library awareness.     

Procedures to Follow if a Law Enforcement Official Asks for Patron Information: A Checklist for Access Services Student Employees

ABSTRACT

Since the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act was signed into law in October, 2001, library administrators have become increasingly concerned that staff–especially student employees–continue to protect the confidentiality of patron records. Administrators have also become increasingly concerned that when law enforcement officials provide paperwork giving them legal access to patron records, staff take steps both to divulge no more information than is necessary and to protect the institution from liability. In response to these concerns, the University of Colorado, Boulder, created an easy-to-understand and easy-to-use document for its public services student employees. This article describes the process by which that document was created, how it was introduced to staff and student employees, and what additional steps are planned for the future. Finally, the document itself is included as a possible model for other institutions that may wish to create procedural guidelines for student employees.     

The undergraduate that could: Crafting a collaborative student training program

Since the mid-nineteenth century, student worker programs have been an integral component of academic libraries, and the evolution of the profession has put more students, even undergraduates, into positions with greater responsibility, raising questions about the level of expertise of which undergraduate students are capable. The authors address these questions through the lens of the collaborative redevelopment of two distinct library student worker programs at a small liberal arts college. Included is a discussion of successes and challenges, as well as a consideration of the benefits of a “cross-library” support system in developing such a program.     

Data-informed open education advocacy: A new approach to saving students money and backaches

The North Carolina State University Libraries has long recognized the financial burden textbook costs place on students. By crosswalking information on use of our textbook collection with textbook cost and course enrollment data, we have begun to map the environment for textbook use at the university and identified opportunities for faculty outreach in promoting alternatives to traditional textbooks, including our Alt-Textbook program. This article describes our programs, our investigation of textbook use patterns, and how we are using these data to inform our practice.     

The X-factor in academic libraries: the demand for soft skills in library employees

Abstract

As the need for employees with technology skills and other expertise has increased within the contemporary academic library environment, so too has the need for employees with “soft skills.” Soft skills refer to personal, learnable attributes, such as emotional intelligence, communication aptitude, persuasion facility, storytelling ability, collegiality, and even woo. While academic libraries are ever-changing, it is critical to bear in mind the importance of the human component. This article considers the need for soft skills within the contemporary academic library environment. It will draw upon successful instances of soft skills development from outside the academic library environment to synthesize new ways of enhancing library employees’ soft skills.     

So much to learn, so little time to learn it: North American archival education programs in the information age and the role for certificate programs

Archivists in North America have described, discussed, and debated the necessary and optimal content, configuration, and venue for archival education for close to a century but have given little consideration to integrating technology within archival curricula. Increasingly, archivists are faced with a high tech world in which they must understand issues including information systems, the nature of electronic records and databases, record migration, digitization, and web design and creation for provision of access. This paper explores the nature and extent of information technology and information science coursework and knowledge discussed in the Society of American Archivists’ Guidelines for a Graduate Program in Archival Studies and that students have available to them while in archival programs. It concludes with a proposal for Library and Information Science education programs that prepare archivists to explore developing Certificate of Advanced Studies programs in archival management on top of master’s degrees to allow for additional information science coursework.     

Training Student Workers for Cross-Departmental Success in an Academic Library: A New Model

Many academic libraries rely on a student workforce for everyday operations, interacting with patrons, and assistance with larger projects. Training these students for such multifaceted and customer-service-focused positions can be a challenge. This article traces an overhaul of training procedures made during the transition to a centralized, services desk workflow. All aspects of training a large student workforce, from planning and presentation to assessment, are outlined. Interactive group sessions and peer-to-peer reinforcement of procedures have proven to be most effective in training student workers for varied roles in an academic library.     

READ-ing Our Way to Success: Using the READ Scale to Successfully Train Reference Student Assistants in the Referral Model

The Reference Services Department at Radford University's McConnell Library has been developing a training program in the reference referral system for student assistants (SAs) over 3 academic years. The program's goal is to effectively instruct SAs in balancing high quality customer service with the importance of appropriately referring users to librarians and to assess the accuracy of their referrals and responses. The trainers have met these goals with the successful incorporation of a modified version of the Reference Effort Assessment Data (READ) scale, a reference transaction assessment tool developed by Bella Karr Gerlich, into the student training program.     

Textbook access and affordability through academic library services: A department develops strategies to meet the needs of students

In the spring of 2015, the University of Minnesota Libraries formed the Content Services department, which is comprised of Interlibrary Loan, Publishing Services, and the Copyright Permissions Service. These three service points, as well as additional Library units, work together with campus partners to save students money on their course materials through a variety of programs and pilot projects. By employing multiple avenues to help faculty and students put affordable content into their existing workflows for providing and accessing required readings, the University of Minnesota Libraries are ensuring that there are many options available that support coursework and ultimately student success.     

So Many Projects,So Few Resources: Using Effective Project Management in Technical Services

Successful project management can lead to improved effectiveness and efficiency in technical services and large-scale collection management. Using project management as a tool helps academic research libraries find overlapping objectives, maximize staffing resources, and accomplish large goals that would otherwise not be possible given ongoing financial constraints. By thinking creatively about the intersection of short-term projects and long-term needs, librarians will be better able to enhance access to collections in meaningful and timely ways.     

GoPro as an ethnographic tool: A wayfinding study in an academic library

In this study, researchers sought to capture students’ authentic experience of finding books in the main library using a GoPro camera and the think-aloud protocol. The GoPro provided a first-person perspective and was an effective ethnographic tool for observing a student's individual experience, while also demonstrating what tools they use to find items. Using the think-aloud protocol, observers could hear students express their internal decisions, thoughts, and feelings about the process. Results confirmed trouble spots in the building and that directories are not typically used and need updating. GoPro footage revealed that there are certain qualities of the help-desk experience that can make a search more or less successful. No major sex differences were found in preference of wayfinding tools and behaviors, except that males appear to have used directories marginally more than females. In a debriefing survey, students still affirmed human help and online maps as the most useful wayfinding tools and advocated for better signage. Mapping of behaviors by floor also validated GoPro observations. At low cost to the library, the GoPro/think-aloud combination along with survey and mapping methodologies affirmed trouble spots in the building and provided suggestions for wayfinding improvements to library administration.     

Let's Circulate: A Report on the 1st Annual New Jersey Access Services Meeting

In 2014, access services librarians and professional staff from various institutions all over New Jersey came together at The College of New Jersey, in Ewing Township, to discuss regional trends and issues in access services. Library staff at these institutions face many of the same issues from managing student assistants, to dealing with stacks management, and handling building security. The goal of the daylong meeting was to build bonds between access services staff at the different institutions, and to learn from one another's experiences during a series of roundtable discussions, and informal conversations over coffee and lunch. It was the first meeting of its kind in New Jersey and the organizers plan to make it an annual occurrence under the name Let's Circulate. This article is a summary of the first meeting.     

Floating collection in an academic library: An audacious experiment that succeeded

Can a floating collection thrive in a large multicampus academic research library? Floating collections have been successful in public libraries for some time, but it is uncommon for academic libraries and unheard of for a large academic library system. This article will discuss the investigation into the feasibility of a floating collection at Penn State University Libraries, its implementation, and continuation for a period covering 2009 through 2015. Attaining the floating collection, limited to monographs in the general stacks of campus libraries, proved to be easier to implement than imagined and resulted in unintended benefits as well as some surprises.     

Addressing Library Anxiety (LA) in student nurses: a study in an NHS Foundation Trust Hospital library and information service

Library anxiety is a concept which has been recognised in academic library circles since the early 1990s. It can result in students actively avoiding the library for the duration of their studies. Madeleine Still is Trust Librarian at North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and while studying for an MSc, recognised that some student nurses were exhibiting signs of library anxiety. She decided to make it the focus of her MSc dissertation, and this article discusses her research project as well as highlighting the measures she has taken to address the issues she uncovered. Madeleine graduated in July 2013 with an MSc in Information & Library Studies from Robert Gordon University. AM