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.     

Student Assistant Training in a Small Academic Library

Abstract

At Valparaiso University's main library, the Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources (formerly the Moellering Library), student employees are an integral part of day-to-day operations. Students work at the reference desk and must be able to handle reference questions. Since the fall 2000 semester, the Reference Services Librarian has been creating a training program for the student assistants, consisting of an initial training period and a series of quizzes combined with review sessions. Student assistants are also indispensable in Instruction Services. These students are charged with library web site and instruction materials' updates. Methods, lessons learned throughout the process, and quiz questions are used to illustrate the development of the training program. Student performance evaluations and feedback are positive.     

Reaching Beyond Library Employees: Assessing IT Student Workers

ABSTRACT

This article examines a collaboration between academic librarians and campus IT to provide library training and assessment for computer lab consultants who work in the library. Pre- and post-tests were used to gauge lab consultants’ ability to answer frequently asked library questions using online guides. This research project also served as a pilot for collaborations between the library's Coordinator of Outreach and Peer Learning and supervisors of student workers in the library.     

Mandatory Student Fees and the Academic Library

As academic libraries' budgets remain flat while their expenditures rise, library leaders must seek out alternative sources of funding. One option is a mandatory student fee dedicated to the library. This article presents the results of a survey of 152 deans and directors of public R1 and R2 research universities that were asked whether their libraries benefit from mandatory student fees. While a library-specific fee is unusual, nearly half of responding libraries are eligible to receive some portion of another mandatory student fee. Study results can serve as evidence for libraries preparing to make a case for the significant, positive impact possible through even a modest library fee.     

The Relevance of Academic Libraries in the Twenty-First Century

The biggest challenge facing the library profession in the twenty-first century is staying relevant to its users. It is often stated that the Internet and Google have changed librarianship. This challenge, while significant, does not mean that libraries will go away. It is causing us to re-evaluate what we do, how we do it, and what role libraries have in the academy and in our culture at large. This column addresses some of the ways in which academic libraries can stay relevant throughout the twenty-first century.     

Student Library Ownership and Building the Communicative Commons

ABSTRACT

Based on William Birdsall's research on the Communicative Commons (2010), this research moves toward reworking the commons model by integrating classical definitions of the commons with theories of psychological ownership, the Information/Learning Commons, and engaged learning and citizenship behaviors. This research seeks to enable institutions without the financial resources for physical renovations projects to create an environment in their libraries capable of training students to become citizen-scholars by providing the goal of increasing student ownership over library resources. It argues that prioritizing student participation within the library may be the best preparation for participation in the wider cultural commons post-graduation.     

Library Learning Spaces: Investigating Libraries and Investing in Student Feedback

ABSTRACT

We examine how students in academic libraries work; their furniture, technology and space needs; research methods used to determine these; and the results and evolution of our space design and assessment efforts. From the creation of a new collaborative center at Mann Library at Cornell University in 2007 to our latest space redesign in 2015, we've used a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods—including surveys, interviews, usability tests, and participatory design exercises—to discover the study behaviors and needs of users, applied this data to help redesign our collaborative study spaces, and assessed the results.     

Using Interlibrary Loan Student Workers During Slow Times: An Untapped Resource

Abstract

Scheduling enough student workers to handle the busiest times of the semester in interlibrary loan departments may result in too many students during slow times. Rather than simply sharing their time with other departments, there are many specialized and creative projects student workers can perform that will directly benefit the interlibrary loan department.     

重视"学生助理"对图书馆业务工作的辅助作用

随着高校图书馆的改革，“学生助理”的作用越来越被重视，而且对图书馆的业务工作起了不可低估的辅助作用。     

The Benefits and Challenges of Working in an Academic Library: A Study of Student Library Assistant Experience

Many college students choose or need to work, and academic libraries offer a potentially convenient on-campus location for employment. Students serving in these roles may benefit from the experience both academically and socially. By examining students' experience as workers in the library, academic libraries have the opportunity to understand the benefits that such work might provide and intentionally plan to enhance learning and demonstrate library value in a novel way. This basic qualitative study sought to explore the experiences of student assistants working in an academic library and identify the benefits and challenges they perceived as a result of enacting the role. Individual interviews were conducted with seven undergraduate student library assistants at a doctoral-granting institution to determine benefits and challenges they noted that resulted from their experiences in this student employment role, and findings reveal opportunities for academic librarians in training and supervising student employees.     

Learn by Doing: An Assessment of the Impact of Access Services in Fostering Skills Development of Access Services Student Staff at Kennedy Library

The academic library continues to formulate strategies for providing and sustaining a creative learning environment for knowledge creation. But little has been said about its role in skills building through micro employment that is enabling students to develop and integrate their academic, personal, and social skills sets. This study examines the role that Access Services plays in boosting the learning experiences of student employees in readiness for workplace integration. A survey that seeks to assess their experience was administered to 32 student employees at Access Services. The results indicate that student employees, through information delivery functions, gain personal transferable skills crucial for employment.     

Hiring in an Academic Library: Fit is Essential

Candidates readily assure search committees that they will join up, collaborate, and participate in a group. The challenge for the search committee is learning whether the candidate will truly fit with the existing group and organizational culture. How do we gauge how a new hire will fit? Hiring for fit is critical in libraries because each member of the group interacts on behalf of the library with students, faculty, administrators, and staff. Such work demands not only collaboration but also a shared vision. This article describes how one library altered the hiring practice to address the issue of “fit.”     

学科化服务:研究型大学图书馆学习共享空间服务的新领域

学习共享空间的构建为研究型大学图书馆开展学科化服务提供了重要契机。本文从研究性大学、图书馆、学习共享空间、学科化服务四维关系出发,探讨学习共享空间环境中,学科化服务的实现途径、网络平台及服务条件,明确指出学科化服务为研究性大学图书馆学习共享空间服务的新领域。     

Student Journey Work: A Review of Academic Library Contributions to Student Transition and Success

This review aims to capture projects, services, and approaches that are being used to ensure student success and sustainability across the stages (or transitions) of the student experience of higher education, where these extend the traditional role of the library, in the UK and internationally. The article examines why the student journey (and supporting it) has become a central part of the contemporary academic library's repertoire. Fundamentally, through a student lifecycle perspective the author will attempt to show how academic libraries contribute to their university's bottom line? Finally, the article will reflect on strategic implications and areas for further investigation.     

The Past,Present, and Possibilities of Commons in the Academic Library

Within the past 10 years, commons have become increasingly prominent in academic libraries. Commons evolved out of the “library as a place” movement and stem from the digital revolution, increased emphasis on collaborative learning, and changing student habits and needs. The three levels of commons are information commons, learning commons, and the emerging virtual commons. Libraries implementing commons must consider the impact on reference services and staffing and be prepared for higher than anticipated use. Libraries should use both quantitative and qualitative assessment methods. Commons can revitalize the library by giving it a key role in reaching university strategic goals.     

Elevating the Student Assistant: An Integrated Development Program for Student Library Assistants

Libraries depend upon student workers to assist in the day-to-day operations of a unit. The range of activities varies, as does the amount of flexibility given to students to go beyond the routine. This case study details an approach that was shaped based on student input and creative brainstorming to engage and involve student workers in new ways as well as strategies to elevate their leadership roles. The approach encourages students to contribute their particular strengths and expertise in ways that not only enhance the library's mission but also elevate their experience at the library.     

高校图书馆构建信息共享空间的问题与对策

本文对我国高校图书馆构建信息共享空间（IC）的现状进行了调研,分析了构建IC存在的问题,并在此基础上提出了相应的对策。     

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.     

信息时代高校图书馆与信息素质教育初探

对信息素质的内涵以及目前我国信息素质教育的现状做了阐述，并且就高校图书馆开展信息素质教育的途径进行了探讨。     

An ELITE service model: Creating and implementing a peer-to-peer library tech support team

Academic libraries are providing technical support and assistance to their patrons using models such as the information commons, learning commons, and designated service points. Applying a constructivist, experiential approach, one small liberal arts college created a team of students to provide peer-to-peer tech support in response to an influx of new technology resources and equipment available for checkout. This team has provided much-needed services to the campus and an important professional development opportunity for its members. This experience offers a useful example for implementing in-house technical support in libraries at similar institutions.