MetaLib and SFX at Loughborough University Library.

This article outlines the implementation of MetaLib and SFX at Loughborough University. It includes details of the timescale, work and staff involved, how the services work, usage and the reactions of readers

Do librarians like to learn online?

Information skills, academic literacy, information fluency and information literacy – the terminology have caused considerable debate in the UK, but in what ever guise information literacy appears it is having a huge impact on the role of librarians. It is now seen as one of the major keys to problem solving and life long learning. A considerable amount of resources in the UK higher education (HE) library sector is put towards enhancing student’s information literacy skills. Teaching has therefore become a core part of a librarian’s role. Courses are being designed and delivered by library staff to students in various formats including face-to-face, online, blended learning, in formal classroom time and informally on the enquiry desk. Library staff, both professional and non professional, are expected to have an understanding on the concepts of information literacy and online learning so that they can become effective teachers either in the classroom or at the enquiry desk. The question is, how do library staff acquire these skills and how do they view their roles in relation to information literacy? Having recognised that information literacy is no longer just the province of HE, but as an essential part of life long learning and digital citizenship, library 2 schools are beginning to recognise a need for information literacy within the curriculum. They are not however, actively developing librarians teaching skills, library staff tend to obtain these skills through trial and error, short courses and professional teaching qualifications. In addition, few library oriented continuing professional development programmes in the UK provide elements of online learning, so it is difficult to experience online learning as a student. To overcome this, the CILIP Community Services Information Literacy sub-group have created two online modules which are aimed at enquiry desk staff and at those who are teaching Information literacy in a more formal environment. 1. POP-i and LolliPop were designed to assist enquiry desk staff in enhancing their own information literacy skills so that they can then assist readers in becoming independent information seekers. POP-i was piloted by Bradford Public Libraries. LolliPop was piloted by two university libraries in the UK. Both are being adapted by other HE institutions and public libraries. 2. SirLearnaLot aims to help library staff enhance their understanding of pedagogy so that they can feel confident in designing and delivering courses to students. SirLearnaLot will be piloted in the very near future by at least two university libraries. Both courses are written in HTML format which facilitates them being used in any Virtual learning Environment. Both programmes will be freely available under a Creative Commons License. This paper will outline: a) how POP-I and LolliPop were piloted with library staff b) how the modules were evaluated c) staff feedback re content and their online learning experience c) how similar / dissimilar library staff are in relation to their learning experience 3 d) how the feedback has impacted on the design and delivery of the modules, so the needs of the learner is paramount

How to make your e-resources earn their keep

Based on a paper given at the UKSG seminar ' The radical library: taking up the challenge', London, 13 November 2003' This paper outlines how Loughborough University Library ensures that the bibliographic and full text databases it subscribes to are used to the maximum. This is done through the collection of statistics, promotional activities including training and the introduction of a portal (MetaLib) and linking technologies (SFX). The article will concentrate on the introduction of MetaLib and SFX and discuss how successful the new services appear to be

A critical analysis of the INFORMS project at Loughborough University.

The paper presents a critical analysis of Loughborough University’s experience of INFORMS, a JISC funded project that builds on the earlier work of INHALE. Key aims of the project are: · to enhance students information literacy skills by embedding electronic database tutorials via local Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) into the academic curriculum. · to transfer the project tools originally created by Huddersfield to the learning environments at the partner sites of Loughborough and Oxford universities. · to establish students’ searching behaviour and measure the level of literacy skills prior to using the tutorials and again afterwards. A small team at Loughborough customised existing tutorials and developed new ones to support the subject areas of business, civil engineering and sport & exercise science. Student feedback was sought regarding tutorial content and the learning experience

Re-writing the script : supporting academic integrity the library way!

An article published in the Guardian Newspaper this week asserted that: 'However much we warn students of the dire consequences of plagiarism, some continue to take the risk, partly because the consequences tend not to be so dire after all …’ Wolff, J. (2006). The article then went on to reveal that a growing number of universities are 'turning to agencies that claim to be able to detect plagiarism by sophisticated electronic searches’. Wolff, J. (2006). The two messages that come across from the article are that, combating plagiarisms is best achieved by putting fear into students; a don’t do it or else approach. The second message suggests that the punishment is not meeting the crime. These messages are becoming more and more accepted yet there is little proof of their effectiveness, indeed other approaches may yield better results. So as the dramas of plagiarism are increasingly played out on centre stage isn’t it time to re-write the script? Combating plagiarism has become a major issue for Higher Education and not only in the UK. At the 2nd Asia-Pacific Educational Integrity Conference in Australia in December 2005 a great deal was said about policy. The main points were that institutions need to have transparent policies and practices relating to educational integrity. The punishment structures and penalties must also be transparent. Policies must be written in plain English, easy for all students to understand. Institutions should aim to build a culture where cheating is not acceptable. These are all excellent points but there were two which stood out above the others: 1. a culture of crime and punishment does not foster learning 2. good policy is necessary but not sufficient in tackling plagiarism issues The first point was addressed several times during the conference. Systems have to be in place to punish those few who deliberately set out to cheat. Institutions however, appear to be finding difficulty with creating policies and procedures that allow mistakes to be made, lessons to be learned, without appearing to allow ‘students to get away with it’ This problem could be helped by the second point. Policy is required most certainly, but if students are simply told they must not plagiarise or terrible things will happen to them, then that institution’s policy is ultimately doomed.In re-writing our script we can change the emphasis of our play. Instead of pointing out the dire consequences of plagiarism we need to help students to understand that by not plagiarising they are enhancing their own learning experience, their academic credibility and developing the knowledge and skills for their future careers and personal development. Dangle the carrot rather than swing the stick - provide the tools to understand and avoid plagiarism while at the same time nourishing a sense of pride and satisfaction within the student. New scene, enter the library (stage left!) This is the point at which Librarians can help. By providing a good Information Literacy programme that teaches students to understand how to find and evaluate information, what plagiarism is, how to reference their work appropriately. Librarians can assist students to understand their responsibility regarding the use of information. This paper will look at how libraries in two institutions are supporting and collaborating with academics to provide a holistic approach to countering plagiarism, outlining practical examples of tactics and strategies that provide dramatic improvement. This is an innovative approach which creates a happy and constructive ending to the play

Does advocacy help to embed information literacy into the curriculum? A case study.

For over twenty years libraries in Higher Education have been attempting to enhance students’ information literacy skills through the teaching of best practice in literature searching. Content of information literacy courses often include the mechanics of how databases work, and more importantly, the higher-level thinking skills, such as problem solving and critical evaluation, underpinning the research process. This paper looks at the work in the development of information literacy competencies run by the academic library at Loughborough University in the UK. This study, which was undertaken by the library at Loughborough University, focuses on the impact of its information literacy programmes, and in particular, it examines the mixed success brought about by the embedding of information literacy education into subject modules. Three main strategies are presented in this paper to fully contextualize the outcome of such provision and promote collaboration between library and faculty staff. Examples here include the attempts made by library staff to encourage the integration of information literacy into the curriculum through the use of learning outcomes, through the delivery of Personal Development Portfolio (PDP) practices, and the employment of preventive strategies against plagiarism

Overview of the HE Academy Development Fund Project : Critical evaluation of information literacy questions used to support the Department of Politics, International Relations & European Studies (PIRES)

Loughborough University Library and the Department of Politics International Relations & European Studies (PIRES) wished to enhance second year student information literacy skills, so that they were able to produce good quality research dissertations. To achieve this, information literacy skills were embedded into the EUB608: Research Methods module and was delivered via the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), called Learn. The student understanding of the principles of information searching was assessed using computer aided assessment (CAA)

The implementation of MetaLib and SFX at Loughborough University Library: a case study.

The Joint Information and Systems Committee (JISC) have commissioned the Library and Information Statistics Unit (LISU) to conduct a case study of the implementation of the library-oriented portal known as MetaLib at the University Library at Loughborough. This case study complements another joint JISC/LISU project which is conducting a national survey of all Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) establishments to determine the level of development of library portals. The findings of this survey will inform JISC and the community on the current situation in the use of library portals

Don't diss it, quiz it

Loughborough University Library and the Department of Politics International Relations & European Studies (PIRES) wished to enhance second year student information literacy skills, so that they were able to produce good quality research dissertations. To achieve this information literacy skills were embedded into the EUB608: Research Methods module which was delivered via the University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), called Learn. The students’ understanding of the principles of information searching was assessed using computer aided assessment (CAA)

The UK Information Literacy website

The UK Information Literacy website was launched in March 2006 and can be found at http://www.informationliteracy.org.uk. The website is dedicated to the enhancement of the important field of Information Literacy (IL). The site has been established through a partnership with the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) Community Services Group (CSG) sub group on Information Literacy1, Eduserv2, Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL)3, the Museum Libraries and Archives Council (MLA)4, the Higher Education Academy Information and Computing Sciences Centre (HEA-ICS)5 and the Schools Library Group6. To find out more about the partners visit their websites listed at the end of this article