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.     

Creating a HIP in the library: A high-impact practice case study

Abstract

High-impact practices (HIPs) have been adopted on college campuses to enhance student learning. The academic library provides services and space contributing to learning at its institution. Librarians conduct space research to learn how the library building can better serve its users. Library space assessment is one way for librarians to engage with faculty and students to create an HIP in the library. This article is a case study of a collaboration between a librarian and a sociology professor to design an observational study. It demonstrates how librarians can contribute to HIPs at their institution by involving students in meaningful research.     

The development of a blended learning approach to delivering information skills training to large health related student audiences with limited staff resource

This feature considers the challenges that academic librarians are increasingly being faced with in the delivery of information skills training to large student numbers with limited time and staff resources. A case study is presented of how an academic liaison librarian used a blended learning approach and innovative teaching practice to successfully deliver information skills training to large student numbers within the Faculty of Health and Social Care at Hull University.     

Librarians Use of Web 2.0 in UK Medical Schools: Outcomes of A National Survey

Using the results of an Email survey, this paper reviews the use of Web 2.0 technologies by librarians working in UK Medical Schools. Web 2.0 has been hailed as an innovation for facilitation of two way communication on the net, and it is, therefore, timely to measure how effectively librarians are capturing this opportunity for increased student engagement. The social nature of Web 2.0 can be particularly appropriate for undergraduate medical students who fit their studies around the unsocial hours and geographical isolation of clinical placements. This paper will investigate library use of blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. Consideration will also be given as to whether they facilitate a more collabroative library service or if they leave undergraduate medical students swamped with yet more information to manage.     

Advancing Research Data Management in the Social Sciences: Implementing Instruction for Education Graduate Students Into a Doctoral Curriculum

Research data management (RDM) skills are vital yet often untaught in graduate programs, especially in the social sciences. In this article, the authors present a case study of how a research data librarian and an education librarian partnered to provide targeted RDM instruction for a previously unconsidered student group: education doctoral students. They discuss the design, development, and implementation of this focused RDM support. Assessment data from a workshop and in-class sessions are presented and contextualized. From this information, the authors offer practical suggestions that other social science librarians can use to create similar workshops at their institutions.     

The Academic Librarian: Buying Into,Playing Out,and Resisting the Teacher Role in Higher Education

This article reports the findings of a small-scale study in a UK university. The research investigated how academic librarians experienced the processes of becoming a teacher. As more librarians are drawn into a teaching role, understanding these developments becomes crucial. A narrative approach revealed the challenges faced as they participated in a program of teacher education. Institutional agendas and a diverse student population complicated these processes. This produced a complex interplay between identity and pedagogy, resulting in a lack of legitimacy in the teacher role. This has implications for the way in which academic librarians are supported in such transitions.     

Assessment,Analytics, and Analysis: Demonstrating the Impact of LMS Embedded Librarians on Student Learning

Librarians are committed to supporting teaching, learning, and research. They are equally committed to supporting student success and retention. Demonstrating the impact that learning management system (LMS) embedded librarians make on student learning has been difficult to correlate, however. Studies that assess this connection, using qualitative and quantitative data have been undertaken in recent years. In a university regional campus library study conducted in 2016–2017, LMS embedded librarians explored the relationship between student learning and information literacy instruction, relying primarily on a customized LMS embedded librarian page of library resources and learning objects. They used a rubric to assess student research papers and bibliographies, LMS course analytics, instructors’ grades, and student feedback. This article reviews the literature and their methodology, challenges, and findings. They wish to guide colleagues, committed to assessing how librarians contribute to student learning, in selecting assessment approaches and validate their instructional role.     

Building BRYT: A Case Study in Developing an Online Toolkit to Promote Business Information Literacy in Higher Education

This paper highlights the design and development process that two academic business librarians employed to create an online toolkit of eLearning supports for business students. After receiving funding from their institution’s internal teaching innovation fund, they hired and worked with two eLearning design companies to produce the toolkit. The toolkit includes videos and PDF resources that show students how to retrieve specialized resources for key business research tasks. The librarians undertook this project to increase the online business information literacy offerings at their university and better support their institution’s diverse commuter, distance, and part-time student population. To develop a student-centered toolkit, the librarians used a curriculum mapping exercise, online surveying, focus groups, usability tests, and a student review group. They also adapted the ADDIE instructional design model and consulted adult learning theory to develop a series of micro-learning supports that were relevant and useful for undergraduate and graduate business students.     

Virtual focus groups for improved A-Z list user experience

User focus groups can be a particularly effective way to design user-driven changes to library services. This paper explains how three faculty librarians designed and conducted virtual focus groups to improve the College of Charleston (CofC) Libraries' A-Z Database List; provides analysis of the data gathered via focus group sessions and a follow-up survey; details how this information has been used to make changes for the sake of student user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design; and shares overall impressions and insights gained from the study. By inviting student participants to explore the list in a setting that was both structured and open-ended, librarians learned what mattered most to students using this resource.     

Student veterans in the academic library

Enrollment increases in the number of veterans returning from service in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars offer an opportunity for academic librarians to craft outreach programs that address their unique needs as they transition from military to academic life. Library information and research services can be highlighted and integrated into the support services for student veterans already in place at most academic institutions. This article provides a case study of the design and development of services and facilities to support student veterans, and it describes the evolution of library outreach to student veterans through direct campus collaborations.     

Expanding Our Roles: Embedded in Curriculum Design

This article describes how librarians became involved as members of an interdisciplinary curricular team in a problem-based learning course for first- and second-year medical students. The experience illustrates how librarians can become part of a team, collaborating with medical faculty to assist in revising curricula, incorporating innovative teaching techniques, and creating effective simulated patient case scenarios. Working within an interdisciplinary collaborative team on curriculum development allows librarians to move beyond the traditional role of instruction and can lead to additional opportunities, including research and ongoing involvement in curricular changes.     

Improving and Assessing Information Literacy Skills through Faculty-Librarian Collaboration

Academic libraries provide value to their institutions on many levels, one of which is information literacy (IL) instruction. Librarians have the opportunity to guide students through the research process, teach students how to think critically, evaluate resources, and use resources ethically. It is beneficial for librarians to assess student learning after these sessions to demonstrate how libraries support the academic mission of their institutions. This article will address ways to assess the effectiveness of integrating information literacy into college courses by taking a close look at a partnership developed between a professor and two librarians at a small, private four-year institution.     

学生工作中的有效传播

高校的学生工作是推进素质教育的重要组成部分,学生工作的复杂性需要有一个清晰的解读.学生工作的本质就是传播行为,学生工作的有效性依赖于传播行为的有效性.引入有效传播的视角,分解学生工作的流程,能够将学生工作的实际执行层面问题探出根源,同样从有效传播的途径也可以得到学生工作有效进行的启示.     

A collaborative approach to teaching genetics information sources

Rapid advancement and new information sources in many academic fields offer expanded opportunities for collaborative teaching Campus-wide programs, such as UWired, are effective in stimulating collaborative teaching, but efforts of individual faculty members and librarians can also produce effective courses This article describes how bioinformatics sources were introduced to students in a human genetics course taught by a professor and a librarian at the University of Tennessee Course content, learning objectives, and student assignments are covered, as well as roles of the professor and librarian m teaching the course The librarian attended each class session, which proved effective in integrating him into the course and expanded his knowledge of how genetics information is used by researchers     

Student Deep Participation in Library Work: A Chinese Academic Library's Experience

Student deep participation in library work allows students to actively participate in library operation and become deeply involved in library service and program development. There are usually two levels of deep participation: level I refers to the employment of student assistants in different areas of library routine work, ranging from shelving to IT support; and level II refers to the engagement of students as library partners or collaborators, working with librarians to complete independent project. Sharing Tsinghua University Library's experiences, we provide a holistic view of how the two levels of student deep participation are implemented at an academic library, with a focus on level II. We seek to generate a thorough understanding of the practices and benefits of student deep participation, and encourage academic libraries to create more opportunities to deeply involve students in library work, and to ultimately demonstrate the value and relevance of the library to the campus community.     

Student artists in the library: an investigation of how they use general academic libraries for their creative needs

Although academic librarians may not be fully aware of how student artists use library collections, information obtained from focus group interviews reveals how student artists use academic libraries to support their artwork, what these students seek, and how they feel about their experiences.     

Retention of Adult and Traditional Learners: Library Strategies for Student Success

Nontraditional adult learners are often treated as separate and distinct in their needs and desires from more traditionally-aged college students. As retention continues to be a critical issue for colleges and universities, academic units and departments turn their focus to student success. This review article examines strategies that institutions have taken to increase students' self-efficacy and engagement, and compares their usefulness for both nontraditional and traditional learners. These strategies are viewed through the lens of the academic library with suggestions for how distance librarians can support the institution in its retention efforts and the students themselves in their own success.     

用邓小平"两手抓"思想看"读者第一"与"馆员第一"

文章运用邓小平"两手抓"的哲学思想,分析图书馆的有关情况,认为应辩证地看待"读者第一"与"馆员第一"的问题;并进一步说明不分主次的"两点论"也不符合辩证法,要坚持以读者为中心,但是馆员的劳动报酬要能充分反映服务水平;还提出要全盘否定"馆员第一",但注意事物发展的阶段性.馆员问题可以是第一位的工作;最后提到,"两手抓"思想可以用来处理藏与用、"硬件"与"软件"、有偿服务与无偿服务等图书馆建设中一系列重大关系.     

Student Learning Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education and in Academic Libraries: A Review of the Literature

Conducting effective assessment toward evaluating student learning outcomes (SLO) is a difficult and complex process for all higher education professionals. University-level conversations are increasingly centered on student learning outcomes as they pertain to issues such as students' skills competence, continuous improvement, retention, etc. In response to the increasing demand for units on campus (including academic libraries) to contribute to these conversations, an understanding of how to assess student learning outcomes becomes essential. This paper reviews recent academic literature pertaining to assessing student learning outcomes in higher education and academic libraries. The objective is to use both to create a starting point for academic librarians looking to embark on a SLO-based program of assessment at their academic libraries.