Marketing First Impressions: Academic Libraries Creating Partnerships and Connections at New Student Orientations

Academic libraries look for successful marketing strategies to promote positive perceptions among students. To do this, librarians need to find venues and partnerships outside the library. Florida State University Libraries discovered that participating in new student orientation networking sessions creates opportunities to generate lasting first impressions among incoming freshmen and their families. After analyzing three years of successive student and family evaluations, which measured presentation rankings and attendance, the library was able to determine the utility and effectiveness of participating in the orientation program. Related literature and an analysis of the evaluations both indicate that universities and students benefit when libraries participate in new student orientations

What Information Literacy Means to Me: Collaborating with Faculty to Understand Student Perceptions of Information Literacy

This presentation will recount the experiences of Miami University’s (Oxford, OH) Faculty Learning Community for Improving Student Research Literacy, a group of professors and librarians who work together on incorporating information literacy into the curriculum. Faculty members wondered early on how students in their classes conceive of their own information literacy skills. These conversations led to the creation of a survey for students to self-assess the information literacy skills that faculty perceived important, including: - How and where students are searching for information. - Student preparation to perform information research, and its applicability outside the library. - Location(s) where students perform information research. - Differences in information literacy skill perceptions between class level and experience with paper writing. Results of the survey of approximately 400 students were matched to professor definitions of information literacy and a common list of desired information literacy skills created by professors at the beginning of the academic year. Study results allowed community members to see where perceptions among professors, librarians, and students were similar, and where they differed greatly. The results led to rich and stimulating conversations about how students perceive information literacy. Conversation regarding the survey continued as professors revised course assignments as the culminating project in the community. Professors carefully utilized survey results and other experiences from the community to create enhanced syllabi with information literacy skills infused throughout. This presentation will recount the experiences of members of the learning community, and provide details on how such a survey can be implemented at other institutions. The presentation will also provide time for discussion on how professor/librarian partnerships can provide for a more engaging student experience, and the value of a faculty learning community as a venue for further exploring information literacy

What Information Literacy Means to Me: Collaborating with Faculty to Understand Student Perceptions of Information Literacy

This presentation will recount the experiences of Miami University’s (Oxford, OH) Faculty Learning Community for Improving Student Research Literacy, a group of professors and librarians who work together on incorporating information literacy into the curriculum. Faculty members wondered early on how students in their classes conceive of their own information literacy skills. These conversations led to the creation of a survey for students to self-assess the information literacy skills that faculty perceived important, including: - How and where students are searching for information. - Student preparation to perform information research, and its applicability outside the library. - Location(s) where students perform information research. - Differences in information literacy skill perceptions between class level and experience with paper writing. Results of the survey of approximately 400 students were matched to professor definitions of information literacy and a common list of desired information literacy skills created by professors at the beginning of the academic year. Study results allowed community members to see where perceptions among professors, librarians, and students were similar, and where they differed greatly. The results led to rich and stimulating conversations about how students perceive information literacy. Conversation regarding the survey continued as professors revised course assignments as the culminating project in the community. Professors carefully utilized survey results and other experiences from the community to create enhanced syllabi with information literacy skills infused throughout. This presentation will recount the experiences of members of the learning community, and provide details on how such a survey can be implemented at other institutions. The presentation will also provide time for discussion on how professor/librarian partnerships can provide for a more engaging student experience, and the value of a faculty learning community as a venue for further exploring information literacy

Information literacy assessment: a case study at Miami University

The purpose of this case study, created by a faculty learning community (FLC) on research fluency, is to investigate students’ information literacy practices at Miami University, including information search process, preparation, differences in students’ information literacy skill levels, and how well they transfer these skills outside coursework. Design/methodology/approach – Faculty and librarians designed a survey of about 60 questions, which were given to 300 students in faculty’s classes by librarian FLC members. Findings – FLC members discovered where perceptions among professors, librarians, and students were similar, and where they differed. Practical implications – Influenced by the findings, participating faculty made changes to the course plans and included additional assignments to make the process of research more explicit. Originality/value – While there are similar studies about information literacy, the Miami University study is distinct in that it reports on collaboration with faculty and makes use of their perceptions of students.Post-print of: Resnis, E., Gibson, K., Hartsell-Gundy, A., & Misco, M. (2010). Information literacy assessment: a case study at Miami University. New Library World, 111(7-8), 287–301. http://doi.org/10.1108/0307480101105992

What Information Literacy Means to Me: Collaborating with Faculty to Understand Student Perceptions of Information Literacy

This presentation recounts the experiences of The Faculty Learning Community for Improving Student Research Literacy, a community of professors and librarians at Miami University (Oxford, OH). Community members created a survey for students in their courses to self-assess information literacy skills that faculty perceived important. Approximately 400 students completed the survey, the results of which were matched to professor definitions of information literacy and a common list of information literacy skills desired by professors. Professors then utilized that data to enhance their syllabi by infusing information literacy skills throughout their courses

Do They Really Know? Collaborating with Faculty on Information Literacy Assessment

This poster will recount the experience of Miami University's Faculty Learning Community for Improving Student Research Literacy, a group of professors and librarians who work together on incorporating information literacy skills into the curriculum. Faculty members wondered early on how students in their classes conceive of their own information literacy skills. These conversations led to the creation of a survey for students to self-assess the information literacy skills that faculty perceived important, including: 1) How and where students are searching for information; 2) Student perceptions to perform information research, and its applicability outside the library; 3)Location(s) where students perform information research; 4)Differences in information literacy skill perceptions between class level and experience with paper writing. Approximately 400 students were reached with the survey instrument. Results of the survey were matched to professor definitions of information literacy and a common list of desired information literacy skills created by professors at the beginning of the academic year. Study results allowed community members to see where perceptions among professors, librarians, and students were similar, and where they differed greatly. The results led to rich and stimulating conversations about how students perceive information literacy

Marketing First Impressions: Academic Libraries Creating Partnerships and Connections at New Student Orientations

Academic libraries look for successful marketing strategies to promote positive perceptions among students. To do this, librarians need to find venues and partnerships outside the library. Florida State University Libraries discovered that participating in new student orientation networking sessions creates opportunities to generate lasting first impressions among incoming freshmen and their families. After analyzing three years of successive student and family evaluations, which measured presentation rankings and attendance, the library was able to determine the utility and effectiveness of participating in the orientation program. Related literature and an analysis of the evaluations both indicate that universities and students benefit when libraries participate in new student orientations

Digital humanities in the library : challenges and opportunities for subject specialists

Digital Humanities in the Library” is a collection of essays focusing on the role of the subject specialist in creating, supporting and promoting digital humanities projects. Chapter authors include experts from diverse areas, such as humanities subject specialists, digital humanities librarians, special collections librarians and professors and graduate students from many disciplines. The work also includes a foreword by Joan K. Lippincott