Learning commons: Bridging the academic and student affairs divide to enhance learning across campus

The University of Guelph Learning Commons brings student affairs professionals and librarians together to offer students a coherent and integrated approach to learning, writing, research, and technology support. It is distinguished by three characteristics: (1) a partnership model between academic and student affairs; (2) a solid foundation of theoretical perspectives to guide program development; and (3) a conceptual model to frame services. These characteristics have placed the Learning Commons in a position to play a leadership role in facilitating and enhancing learning across the university. This article describes the Learning Commons, as well as the theoretical perspectives and conceptual framework upon which the programs and services are based.     

提高期刊编务工作效率的方法

编务工作是期刊出版的重要环节.本文介绍了新时期编务工作的主要内容,并结合自身经验,从版面费收取、稿费和审稿费的发放、样刊和发票的寄送等几个方面给出了一些提高编务工作效率的方法.     

LINQing librarians for better practice: using slack to facilitate professional learning and development

ABSTRACT

Public librarians face various factors that can affect professional practice: socio-cultural nuances of diverse information needs, isolation due to system-wide location and/or geography, and systemic disconnection from professional networking and learning opportunities. To address these factors, an inquiry-based professional development model called The Librarians’ Inquiry Forum (LINQ) was devised and employed with a select group of Hawai’i-based public librarians via the cloud-based collaborative workspace platform, Slack, as a means of building a community-of-practice for professional learning and development. This article reports the evolution and early implementation of the LINQ model. Inquiry-based research often reveals data that raises more questions than answers. Questions raised from the reflective research performed with LINQ revealed ways in which the LINQ librarians learned “better” ways/approaches of practice. LINQ was found to be a viable method for enhancing public librarian professional development.     

Impact of librarians in first-year medical and dental student problem-based learning (PBL) groups: a controlled study

BACKGROUND: Librarians at the University of Alberta have been involved with teaching undergraduate medical and dental education for several years. After 1 year of increased librarian involvement at the problem-based learning (PBL), small-group level, informal feedback from faculty and students suggested that librarians' participation in PBL groups was beneficial. There was, however, no real evidence to support this claim or justify the high demand on librarians' time. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to determine whether having a librarian present in the small-group, problem-based learning modules for first-year medical and dental students results in an improved understanding of evidence-based medicine concepts, the nature of medical literature, and information access skills. METHODS: One hundred and sixty-four first-year medical and dental students participated in the study. There were a total of 18 PBL groups, each with approximately nine students and one faculty tutor. Six librarians participated and were assigned randomly to the six intervention groups. Students were given pre- and post-tests at the outset and upon completion of the 6-week course. RESULTS: Post-test scores showed that there was a small positive librarian impact, but final exam scores showed no impact. There was also no difference in attitudes or comfort levels between students who had a librarian in their group and those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: Impact was not sufficient to warrant continued participation of librarians in PBL. In future instruction, librarians at the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library will continue to teach at the larger group level.     

The evolving approval plan: how academic librarians evaluate services for vendor selection and performance

A survey of 291 academic librarians addressed the question of how libraries choose approval plan vendors, specifically how much emphasis is placed on various approval plan services and product features in choosing between competing approval plan vendors and how vendor performance is rated in those areas. Traditional services, including expertise in managing approval plans, e.g., profiling, and acquisitions services, customer service, and discount rate, along with corporate reputation and business practices, retained their core status. Electronic financial transactions was found to be very important to the libraries already using these services. Outsourcing services, e.g., cataloging or physical processing, with approval plan vendors, although newer, appear established and of considerable interest to some segments. Vendor performance was rated highest in corporate reputation, approval plan management, and in electronic financial transactions. Libraries with approval budgets under $100,000 expressed a degree of satisfaction with approval plan vendors on a level similar to larger libraries.     

So you want to work together: Strengths and limitations of collaborative research

This study sought to examine what active researchers in doctoral Communication programs perceive as the strengths and limitations association with collaborative research. The findings of a nationwide survey indicated that most scholars saw person, process, and product strengths and limitations. Also, there was amazing consistency between what men and women saw as the strengths and problems associated with working collaboratively.     

如何做好村级档案的收集

近两年来,村级建档工作在全市各区、县已普遍开展.从门头沟一年多村级的建档实践看,感到村级档案的收集工作尚存在着不小的差距,其主要表现为:     

Teacher behavior, student interest and affective learning: putting theory to practice

Students of Project Adapt (PA), an instructional program for at-risk middle school students in Brooklyn NY, have displayed startling improvement on cognitive outcome measures. Teacher given grades and standardized tests illuminate the progress students have made since entering the program. The current investigation attempts to analyze PA on students' affective responses in a pre/post-test experimental design. Upon entering PA, students completed measures of interest, affect, and their previous teachers' behavior (pre). These ratings were then compared to end of year ratings on the same instruments (post). Results indicate students' perceive PA teachers utilizing different behaviors than their previous teachers. Additionally, student affect and interest increased significantly. Results of this study have implications for both instructional researchers and educational practitioners.     

Teacher behavior,student interest and affective learning: putting theory to practice

Students of Project Adapt (PA), an instructional program for at-risk middle school students in Brooklyn NY, have displayed startling improvement on cognitive outcome measures. Teacher given grades and standardized tests illuminate the progress students have made since entering the program. The current investigation attempts to analyze PA on students' affective responses in a pre/post-test experimental design. Upon entering PA, students completed measures of interest, affect, and their previous teachers' behavior (pre). These ratings were then compared to end of year ratings on the same instruments (post). Results indicate students' perceive PA teachers utilizing different behaviors than their previous teachers. Additionally, student affect and interest increased significantly. Results of this study have implications for both instructional researchers and educational practitioners.     

Impact of school librarians on elementary student achievement in reading and mathematics: A propensity score analysis

The number of school librarians has been shrinking in the past few years in part due to the lack of evidence linking them to student achievement. Building on a foundation of correlational studies linking school librarians with student achievement, this study uses a quasi-experimental design that mimics random assignment to treatment and comparison groups through application of a matching technique. Restricted data from North Carolina and propensity score matching was used to compare students who attended school with a full-time certified school librarian to similar students who did not attend schools with a full-time certified school librarian. In addition, this relationship for both reading and math over a four-year time span was examined. Findings include that students who attend schools with a full-time certified librarian score significantly higher on math and reading tests than do matched students who attend schools without a full-time school librarian.     

Creating a Research Center: Space for Collaborations and Conversations

This report describes the creation of a library research center, where a team of librarians provide flexible, convenient, and personalized research assistance to students. A research center creates a positive user experience for students and places collaboration—both among librarians and students—at its core. Next-generation reference models must provide spaces and environments for students and librarians to engage in meaningful and deep information literacy conversations as outlined in the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.     

A new method of using student self-assessment: Bridging gaps between teaching content and student learning

ABSTRACT

This longitudinal pilot study developed and tested an instrument to assess students’ perceptions of the extent to which they accomplished the learning objectives that were listed in a number of communication course syllabi. In addition to students’ perceptions that they had improved from the start to the end of the semester in achieving course objectives, the findings revealed that students’ assessment was related positively to their ratings of professors’ teaching effectiveness. The instrument provides valuable information about students’ accomplishment of teachers’ course learning objectives.