Collaboration in information and library science doctoral education

Coauthorship is increasing across all areas of scholarship. Despite this trend, dissertations as sole-authored monographs are still revered as the cornerstone of doctoral education. As students learn the norms and communicative behaviors of their field during their doctoral education, do they also learn collaborative behaviors? This study investigated this issue through triangulation of 30 interviews, 215 questionnaires, and bibliometric analyses of 97 CVs in the field of library and information science (LIS). The findings demonstrate that collaboration occurs in about half of advisee/advisor relationships and is primarily understood as research dissemination outside the dissertation. Respondents reported that the dissertation was not and should not be considered a collaborative product. The discussion also includes a commentary about grant funding and the implications for this on models of academic scholarship and research production.     

Teacher and librarian collaboration: A qualitative study

The twenty-first century is marked by increased challenges in education and limited resources to address them. A solution proposed within school librarianship is teacher and librarian collaboration. This qualitative study examines the practices of highly collaborative teachers and librarians and identifies mechanisms that operate within schools to facilitate high-end collaboration. Five broad themes emerge from the data and identify essential elements of successful collaboration: school culture, positive attributes of collaborators, communication, management, and motivation. This study adds to the body of knowledge of teacher and librarian collaboration by providing empirical support for collaborative practices described in school librarianship literature. The model of teacher and librarian collaboration that emerged from the data provides a preliminary framework for high-end collaborative environments in schools. Of particular interest were findings regarding time management. Participants indicated that in spite of limited time, time issues are overcome when collaboration is highly valued.     

How high-school students find and evaluate scientific information: A basis for information literacy skills development

This study examined the relationship between curricula in secondary-level science classrooms, which support development of information literacy skills, and actual student skills. A vast body of research reflects deep concern with the level of information literacy skill development among secondary and post-secondary students. But even when educational curricula mandate skill development, many students are unable to demonstrate sophisticated information searching and critical evaluation skills. The findings of this study, which we based on analyzing information seeking tasks and conducting interviews with students in three biology classes in a large urban high school, demonstrated a similar lack of skills. Pressure on teachers to “teach to examinations”—that is, to focus on substantive content rather than on information literacy skills and information literacy skills deficits among teachers themselves—is a possible explanation for these results. The study is of particular interest to teachers of the curriculum applicable in the study context, but the broader implications of repeated indications of gaps in students' information literacy skills are a significant indicator that schools must assume a larger responsibility for information literacy instruction. Leaving skill development to the post-secondary environment will not ensure that citizens are sufficiently skilled to participate fully in 21st century life, in workplaces or in their personal life contexts.     

Shaping scholarly communication guidance channels to meet the research needs and skills of doctoral students at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

This article as part of a more comprehensive study, investigated the level of research and scholarly communication skills of doctoral students and the channels to be adopted by the academic library for the provision of scholarly communication guidance at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). It was ascertained that doctoral students at KNUST had moderate level of skill in research and scholarly communication issues; indicating the need for guidance. Both doctoral students and supervisors acknowledged the need for research and scholarly communication skills guidance and training. They also preferred online scholarly communication guidance and a research portal as part of the academic library website.     

Continuing education for medical students: a library model

Purpose

The research assessed a three-year continuing medical education–style program for medical students in a Midwestern academic medical library.

Methods

A mixed methods approach of a survey and two focus groups comparing attendees versus non-attendees assessed the program.

Results

Eleven students participated in the focus groups. Attendance was driven by topic interest and lunch. Barriers included lack of interest, scheduling, location, and convenience.

Conclusions

Although attendance was a challenge, students valued opportunities to learn new skills. This study showcases a reproducible method to engage students outside the curriculum.     

An introduction to independent learning skills for incoming medical students

A partnership was initiated between educators of the College of Medicine and the McGoogan Library at the University of Nebraska Medical Center to establish a new educational component for incoming medical students. The objective was to encourage the development of the students' independent information seeking skills. A three-day seminar was introduced in which the process of seeking information was emphasized rather than the final product. Cooperative development of the seminar resulted in a fresh approach to educating medical students at the College of Medicine and the emergence of an ongoing instructional link between the library faculty and educators in the College of Medicine.     

Preparing students for research: faculty/librarian collaboration in a pre‐doctoral physical therapy research course

In this article, guest writers Susan Bigelow and Dr Salome Brooks from Springfield College, Massachusetts, present an overview of their evaluative research study in which a faculty professor and the liaison librarian collaborated to develop an information literacy course entitled Physical Therapy (PT) and Health care Research Skills, in order to teach necessary information literacy skills to upper‐level undergraduate PT students. Triangulation of the Physical Therapy and Information Literacy standards in alignment with the course objectives strengthened the collaboration, course development and expectations of student performance. Student performance was assessed through formal and expected evaluative means, and the preliminary evidence suggests some key successes in the course outcomes. H.S.     

Good intentions: providing students with skills to avoid accidental plagiarism

This article explores one librarian's experience with creating and implementing a plagiarism seminar as part of the library liaison program to the School of Public Health and Health Professions at the University at Buffalo. The changes and evolution of the seminar over several iterations are described. This article also examines student perceptions, misperceptions, and reactions to the plagiarism workshop.     

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.     

Effectiveness of information skills training and mediated searching: qualitative results from the EMPIRIC project

OBJECTIVES: To explore library staff and health professionals' views on the effectiveness of information skills training and librarian mediated searching as methods of providing information for patient care. This is the second article describing the Effective Methods of Providing InfoRmation for patIent Care (EMPIRIC) project. The first paper, in a previous issue of this journal (Brettle et al. The costs and effectiveness of information skills training and mediated searching: quantitative results for the EMPIRIC project. Health Information and Libraries Journal 2006, 23, 239-247) describes the quantitative results. METHODS: A questionnaire survey to library staff and health professionals in the North West. Data was collected on perceptions of services, satisfaction and service usage. Statistical data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and qualitative data using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Both information skills training and mediated searches are perceived by library staff and health professionals to be effective. There is strong support for mediated searches carried out on behalf of the health professional and information skills training to enable them to carry out their own searches. The results provide insights into the effectiveness of the services and the factors that make them effective. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence and stakeholders views support the provision of both information skills training and mediated search services. Both services are valued by users who see them as complementary methods of obtaining information depending on their needs at different times.     

浅谈高校图书馆与大学生心理健康教育

文章从我国大学生心理索质的现状入手,提出了高校图书馆应利用自己独特的优势和教育方式,积极采取对策与措施为大学生心理健康教育服务.     

Web-based distance continuing education: a new way of thinking for students and instructors

As people have more difficulty taking time away from work to attend conferences and workshops, the idea of offering courses via the Web has become more desirable. Addressing a need voiced by Medical Library Association membership, the authors developed a Web-based continuing-education course on the subject of the librarian's role in evidence-based medicine. The aim of the course was to provide medical librarians with a well-constructed, content-rich learning experience available to them at their convenience via the Web. This paper includes a discussion of the considerations that need to be taken into account when developing Web-based courses, the issues that arise when the information delivery changes from face-to-face to online, the changing role of the instructor, and the pros and cons of offering Web-based versus traditional courses. The results of the beta test and future plans for the course are also discussed.     

美国传播学博士教育及其对中国的启示

本文对美国传播学博士教育在培养模式、研究领域、培养目标、课程设置、师资状况等方面的特色及其所取得的成就进行了研究,并结合我国传播学博士教育面临的关键问题,对我国传播博士教育乃至整体的传播教育发展思路提出了一些对策性的方向指示.     

Weeding: A quantitative and qualitative approach

This approach to weeding an academic library collection combines recorded use, checking of lists and bibliographies, the expertise of librarians and faculty members, and accessibility to develop a model weeding procedure. The results and benefits of using this approach in a medium-sized university are described and discussed.     

Google Scholar acceptance and use among graduate students: A quantitative study

Adding the external variables of satisfaction and loyalty to Fred Davis' technology acceptance model (TAM), this study examined the extent to which graduate students perceived Google Scholar to be a resource that is useful and easy to use. A survey of 1141 graduate students at the University of Minnesota asked questions exploring their perceptions of Google Scholar as part of their research process. Seventy-five percent of survey participants had used Google Scholar at least once before, and a statistical analysis of the responses found that perceived usefulness, loyalty, and, to a lesser extent, perceived ease of use, were positively and significantly related to the graduate students' intended use of the information resource. This research showed that TAM is an applicable model for predicting graduate student use of Google Scholar, which can help academic librarians seeking to understand graduate student acceptance of new information sources. Additionally, this study provides information about how librarians might best promote Google Scholar and other library resources to graduate students.