Assessing the impact of a study skills programme on the academic development of nursing diploma students at Northumbria University, UK

Background: The Government's nursing recruitment campaign has widened access for those wishing to enter the profession, resulting in some students entering university with clinical experience but little experience of academic writing or using libraries. For these students, the library and study advice staff have an important role to play in helping them acquire appropriate information literacy and study skills. Objective: To evaluate the impact of workshops supplementing online instruction in study skills on students’ study and writing skills, and level of information literacy. Methods: A small group of pre‐registration nursing students identified as needing support with information literacy and study skills participated in focus groups to identify areas of concern, and were offered four remedial workshops. A follow‐up focus group explored whether the students’ needs had been addressed. Further evaluation of the workshops’ impact was completed by diagnostic testing within the University's information literacy programme, Skills Plus. Outcomes: The results showed that all students who attended at least one workshop improved their academic grade in their next assignment. Qualitative data indicated that the students’ confidence level and information literacy, including referencing skills, had improved. Conclusion: Evaluating the impact of this intervention has provided the evidence to demonstrate the value of this additional support.     

The Internet and Reference Librarians:

This paper examines the efforts of the McGill University Humanities and Social Sciences Library Reference staff to integrate the use of resources found on the hernet with traditional reference duties. It also discusses the Internet instruction workshops designed and implemented by reference staff to help librarians and the university community understand and navigate the Internet. The relationship with McGill's Computing Centre and Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology is examined and a case is made for increased collaboration with other areas concerning Internet instruction and use. Lastly, the proactive role of reference staff concerning the introduction of the Internet to other library staff and to the university community is also discussed.     

Facilitating research amongst radiographers through information literacy workshops

Background:Despite a strong research presence in Lancashire Teaching Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust (LTHTR), allied health professionals from the organization are underrepresented in developing and publicizing research that is inspired by day-to-day clinical practice and staff experiences. Two LTHTR departments, Library and Knowledge Services (LKS) and Research and Innovation (R&I), came together to enable a group of staff to develop the knowledge and skills that they needed to access information and create new “home grown” research.Case Presentation:A clinical librarian and an academic research nurse created a research engagement program in the diagnostic radiography department at LTHTR, which included the development, delivery, and evaluation of 6 workshops. Sixteen individuals took part in these workshops, and data were collected on library usage, self-efficacy in information literacy, and research output before and after their delivery. Library membership increased by 50% among diagnostic radiography staff, literature search requests from this department increased by 133%, and all participants who attended at least 1 workshop reported an increased Information Literacy Self Efficacy Scale (ILSES) score. An increase in research activity and outputs was also attributed to the program.Conclusions:This project has resulted in a set of freely available workshop plans and support resources that can be customized for other health care professionals and has won several awards for its innovative use of departmental collaboration. Through the evaluation of the program from workshop attendees and non-attenders, we have identified impacts, outputs, and barriers to engagement in order to continue to deliver this content to other departments and embed a home grown research culture at LTHTR.     

Applying Visitor Preference Criteria to Choose Pro‐wildlife Behaviors to Ask of Zoo Visitors

Abstract Many zoos now emphasize that their role in conservation includes influencing the behavior of their visitors for the benefit of wild animals. However, there is limited evidence of behavioral change to support this emphasis; one reason may be that requested behaviors are not viewed favorably by zoo visitors. The purpose of the present study was to involve zoo staff in a process of identifying and prioritizing pro‐wildlife behaviors using a set of criteria that noted what zoo visitors prefer. This was achieved by replicating Smith’s (2009a) study but including visitor‐preferred attributes identified in Smith, Curtis, and van Dijk (2010) . Across several zoos in Australia, 152 staff members participated in seven Nominal Group Technique workshops. Initially over 500 behaviors were identified and prioritized, first by filtering behavior lists, then by participants voting on behaviors. When voting, participants tended to choose behaviors promoting wildlife‐friendly consumerism and donations.     

Librarians' experiences of the teaching role: A national survey of librarians

A Canadian national survey of 788 library staff doing instructional work revealed that most participants expected to be doing some teaching in their workplaces, and the largest proportion of participants have been teaching for more than 10 years. Most instruction continues to take the form of short presentations to groups of learners. On the whole, preparatory experiences are informal—on-the-job experience, reading professional literature, and attending workshops. The majority of respondents identify instructional work as integral to their professional identity, but nearly one-third see this work as a duty or expectation, and a small proportion view it as an imposition. The study results have implications for design of programs that prepare library staff for the workplace, and for library managers who need to support effective instructional practice.     

Information literacy in South-East Europe: Formulating strategic initiatives,making reforms and introducing best practices

South-East Europe (SEE) is one of the geographic regions in the world which is lagging behind positive global Information Literacy (IL) developments. An informed, authoritative and enlightened understanding of the state of Information Literacy conceptual understanding and best practices across the region was recently provided by two important UNESCO co-sponsored workshops that addressed specific IL challenges in this part of Europe. The first meeting, the Workshop on Information Literacy Initiatives for Central and South-East European Countries, co-organized by UNESCO, with the support of the CEI (Central European Initiatives, an arm of the EU), took place in 2006 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The second, also co-organized by UNESCO, was held in Ankara, Turkey, as a part of a series of eleven Training-the-Trainers in Information Literacy («TTT») workshops that covered all regions of the world. This paper will review and analyse some of the main policy agreements reached by the participants at these meetings, as well as best practices shared by the participants at the two workshops, and discuss remaining Information Literacy advocacy and promotional barriers. The authors will endeavour to identify region-specific barriers to IL in the SEE region and, based on the aforementioned Ankara and Ljubljana workshop outcomes, define focal points for future local and regional IL events, meetings and other initiatives that could and should be taken.     

Information literacy in South-East Europe: Formulating strategic initiatives,making reforms and introducing best practices

South-East Europe (SEE) is one of the geographic regions in the world which is lagging behind positive global Information Literacy (IL) developments. An informed, authoritative and enlightened understanding of the state of Information Literacy conceptual understanding and best practices across the region was recently provided by two important UNESCO co-sponsored workshops that addressed specific IL challenges in this part of Europe. The first meeting, the Workshop on Information Literacy Initiatives for Central and South-East European Countries, co-organized by UNESCO, with the support of the CEI (Central European Initiatives, an arm of the EU), took place in 2006 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The second, also co-organized by UNESCO, was held in Ankara, Turkey, as a part of a series of eleven Training-the-Trainers in Information Literacy («TTT») workshops that covered all regions of the world. This paper will review and analyse some of the main policy agreements reached by the participants at these meetings, as well as best practices shared by the participants at the two workshops, and discuss remaining Information Literacy advocacy and promotional barriers. The authors will endeavour to identify region-specific barriers to IL in the SEE region and, based on the aforementioned Ankara and Ljubljana workshop outcomes, define focal points for future local and regional IL events, meetings and other initiatives that could and should be taken.     

Anger in the Library:

Based on one of her most popular workshops, Rubin discusses the rise in displays of anger at the library and offers practical tips on how to calm the irate patron. She addresses the problem of "anger fallout" onto the library staff member involved and suggests coping methods both for individuals and libraries as administrative entities. In her workshops, participants can try out various techniques and practice new approaches. Rubin states that the tips in the article are just a starting point and suggests both further reading (a bibliography is appended) and lots of practice!     

Marketing “Drop-In” Workshops for Lifelong Learning

Abstract

“Drop-in” workshops historically played important roles as components of instruction programs in college and university libraries. Unrelated to any specific course and initiated largely at the library's discretion, these sessions-along with tours, course-related library instruction sessions, and credit courses-served to introduce library users to the basics of information research as well as the organization of particular, local libraries. Perhaps because of increasing demands for library instruction and upon instruction librarians' time, as well as changes in values brought by the focus on information literacy, workshops have not factored significantly in recent library literature. Workshops still merit continued attention-as well as marketing to maximize their attendance and thus their effectiveness-because they uniquely allow students, faculty, and staff to behave as lifelong learners, not just to learn the information literacy skills characteristic of lifelong learners. Data from over a decade's worth of drop-in workshops at New Mexico State University underlie the discussion herein of ways to market workshops successfully by attention to their topics, their timing, and publicity.     

Clear‐cut?: facilitating health librarians to use information research in practice

In 1999, staff at the universities of Sheffield and Oxford commenced an unfunded project to examine whether it is feasible to apply critical appraisal to daily library practice. This aimed to establish whether barriers experienced when appraising medical literature (such as lack of clinical knowledge, poor knowledge of research methodology and little familiarity with statistical terms) might be reduced when appraising research within a librarian's own discipline. Innovative workshops were devised to equip health librarians with skills in interpreting and applying research. Critical Skills Training in Appraisal for Librarians (CRISTAL) used purpose-specific checklists based on the Users' Guides to the Medical Literature. Delivery was via half-day workshops, based on a format used by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Two pilot workshops in Sheffield and Oxford were evaluated using a brief post-workshop form. Participants recorded objectives in attending, their general understanding of research, and whether they had read the paper before the workshop. They were asked about the length, content and presentation of the workshop, the general format, organization and learning environment, whether it had been a good use of their time and whether they had enjoyed it. Findings must be interpreted with caution. The workshops were enjoyable and a good use of time. Although the scenario selected required no clinical knowledge, barriers remain regarding statistics and research methodology. Future workshops for librarians should include sessions on research design and statistics. Further developments will take forward these findings.     

Library Services to Handicapped People and the Role of the Advisory Committee

Title IVB of the Library Services and Construction Act of 1966 stimulated the growth of library services to people with handicaps in Ohio, as in other states. The IVB Advisory Council was instrumental in setting the direction of service for more than a decade, and encouraged the involvement of public libraries in promoting the braille and talking book service, state and regional workshops for librarians, a state consultant for library services to the handicapped, improvement of services at the two regional libraries to the blind and physically handicapped, and model projects funded by L.S.C.A. The successor to the IVB Advisory Council, and Advisory Committee for Library Outreach Services, continues to advise the State Library Board and State Library staff and Ohio's experience can serve as a model to other states as they implement TITLE IVB.     

ENDNOTE TRAINING FOR ACADEMIC STAFF AND STUDENTS: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

This article describes how the Manchester Metropolitan University Library delivers EndNote training to its academic staff and students through hands-on workshops and online tutorials. As the demand is user-led and the response extremely positive, the Library considers the provision of EndNote training as analogous to a ‘Trojan horse’ that allows the Library welcomed and unchallenged into the camp of the user. The Library has used the opportunity strategically and, consequently, has benefited in a number of ways, including improved communication with academic staff and increased awareness of library resources on the part of users. A short literature review is provided.     

Tenure Metrics: Bibliometric Education and Services for Academic Faculty

Bibliometric indicators can assist biomedical researchers in determining the nature of their influence and impact of their research. In recent years, demands by academic faculty for bibliometric analyses have risen considerably at the University at Buffalo (UB). Consequently, library staff at the Health Sciences Library (HSL) began to offer bibliometric services, a series of workshops and consultations to meet faculty requests. This column highlights the implementation, assessment, and challenges of UB HSL's “Tenure Metrics” program.     

THE CONSERVATION OF TAPESTRIES FOR MUSEUM DISPLAY

Abstract

A broad outline of the considerations which arise with regard to the conservation of a museum collection of tapestries is given in this paper. The various types of damage to, and deterioration of, tapestries is discussed.

Various methods of washing and dry cleaning, and the equipment necessary for these procedures, are reviewed, and a caution is included as to the necessity of testing all dyes for colour fastness in both water and any solvent used for dry cleaning. The equipment, materials and techniques of repair are discussed; three methods of repair being currently used in museums and specialist workshops — re-weaving, stitching on to a backing and the use of synthetic resins for impregnation and adhesion to a woven support. It is suggested in conclusion that the optimum method of repair in museums is stitching on to a backing. More research must be undertaken into the use of synthetic resins, and re-weaving usually alters the original appearance of the tapestry.

Finally, the need for specialised conservation staff in a museum with a tapestry collection is emphasised.     

Cooperation in a Multi-Faceted Reference Department: Blending Resources,Personnel, and Services of Reference,Instruction, Interlibrary Loan,and Government Documents

SUMMARY

Cooperative reference is a valuable approach to serving patrons as well as a means of expanding one's professional knowledge. Members of the reference unit actively participate in cooperative reference for answering patrons' tougher queries, bibliographic instruction, and reference collection development. The cooperative efforts of our unit have expanded our ability to find better information faster. Cooperative reference extends to all librarians within the University Library as each librarian serves in a rotation to staff the reference desk on nights and weekends. Some of the benefits of practicing cooperative reference are the following: providing a balanced and sometimes more complete answer to a reference question; increasing the knowledge of the reference staff by sharing experiences; and increasing morale and support for the reference staff. All of this is accomplished by doing what librarians do best: sharing. Successful cooperative reference relies upon good communication within the department, respect for colleagues, flexibility, and commitment to serving our patrons.     

Learning resource needs of UK NHS support staff

BACKGROUND: A report on the findings of research into the learning resource needs of support staff conducted at York Hospital. METHODS: A qualitative method of focus groups was used to explore the views and experiences of support staff. This provided a rich source of data and allowed an often overlooked group to give their own experiences of learning and libraries. This was supplemented by one-to-one interviews using more in-depth questions. A literacy and numeracy test gave a general picture of essential skill levels within the sample group. RESULTS: An improvement in communication to support staff needs to take place to ensure that all support staff know about the library, how and where to access training and obtain a network computer password. The project confirmed the need to expand library resources for support staff. It was found that there were no obvious essential skills resources within the Trust and a lack of awareness of essential skill issues. CONCLUSION: The learning needs of support staff need to be addressed sensitively. Many have had unfavourable experiences. Lack of access to computers and information technology (IT) training contributed to the group favouring written communication. More work needs to be done on essential skills for all staff.     

Rethinking customer service training: A curricular solution to a familiar problem

High-quality customer service is an important aim of the library experience. Its importance is evidenced by attention given to the topic in scholarly literature and academic conference proceedings. This article describes the challenging process of creating and delivering a blended customer service training curriculum to all library staff working at public service points in the University of Maryland Libraries. An online course, in-person workshops, and digital badges were devised. Assessment was conducted at the end of the first year, resulting in revisions to the course.     

A Library Staff Becomes a Team

Abstract

The staff of the Management & Economics Library of the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University used group problem solving techniques developed by The Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) to redesign the floor plan of the circulation, periodicals, and reference areas of the library to best utilize the space. The ToP^tm (Technology of Participation) planning process utilizes visualizing, brainstorming, and clustering of ideas. Its planning process consists of five workshops: mapping out the practical vision; analyzing the underlying contradictions; setting the strategic directions; designing the systematic action plan; and drawing up the implementation timeline. Each of these workshops is described in part one of this article. Part two describes the implementation of the changes and includes a list of changes, their associated costs, and goals they accomplished. The appendix includes before and after floor plans     

Building P-16 librarian collaborations through a free professional development workshop

Academic librarians often provide information literacy instruction to first-year students while having little contextual understanding of the preparation students received prior to college. To gain this understanding, an annual free professional development workshop was developed to network and improve collaboration between academic librarians and high school library faculty and staff. This article describes the process of planning, hosting, and evaluating outcomes of three annual workshops, as well as discussing the evolving collaborations between librarians at all educational levels for student success.     

安徽省高校学报编辑职业倦怠、社会支持和心理健康的相关性研究

为了了解安徽省高校学报编辑职业倦怠、社会支持和心理健康的特点,探讨职业倦怠、社会支持对心理健康因子的预测作用,采用社会支持量表、职业倦怠量表和90项症状量表对安徽省高校学报编辑职业倦怠、社会支持和心理健康进行问卷调查.结果显示,社会支持和职业倦怠各因子都不同程度影响编辑人员的心理健康水平,增加社会支持,减少职业倦怠可提高编辑人员的心理健康水平.