Three Heads Are Better Than One: Organizational Changes in Collection Management Leadership

Financial pressures, shrinking staff, shifting user expectations, and advances in format access and availability mean that organizational change seems to have become a constant in today’s academic library. The area of collection management has not been immune from change; the increasing emphasis on electronic formats, questions about access versus ownership, and the rise of open access have all required adjustment in managing collections. Even with all this change, most academic libraries have retained an organizational structure with a single person serving as a collection management coordinator or decision maker. This presentation details the shift in one academic library from a hierarchical model with a single collection manager overseeing all selectors to a collection management team composed of three peer selectors representing the major areas of humanities, sciences, and social sciences. The team is charged with coordinating the collection and liaison activities of all selectors as well as investigating new collections initiatives, serving as a bridge between reference and technical services, developing a culture of assessment in collection development, and working with the collections budget, the Libraries’s development office, and administration. Benefits realized, challenges encountered, and “lessons learned” from this team approach will be discussed and suggestions for implementation in other libraries will be proposed

Playing Boss: Learning from Staff Supervisory Experiences in a Music Library Setting

The hiring, training, and ongoing support of staff members determines the success of a library and impacts the quality and quantity of services and resources provided to their community. Strong leadership and supervisory skills are particularly valuable for music librarians who oversee collections and services benefiting from a basic musical knowledge but whose staff may lack that knowledge. Music librarians often fill a diversity of roles: collection developer, liaison, library instructor, circulation manager, collections manager, and supervisor. There is a plethora of literature on collection development, collection management, and instruction all accompanied by a wealth of conference sessions and posters. There are very few opportunities, however, to learn about the very critical role of being a supervisor in a music library or music collection setting. This panel seeks to fill this gap through the observations and experiences of several library or department managers and paraprofessionals. Topics addressed will include making good hiring decisions, developing a positive feedback loop with staff, how to delegate effectively, and how to effectively advocate for your staff to administration who may not be sympathetic to the unique needs of music collections and their core patron group

The Effectiveness of Library Instruction for Graduate/Professional Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective - This study sought to assess the effectiveness of library instruction for increasing information literacy skills and/or knowledge among graduate and professional students.Methods - A search was conducted in Library Literature and Information Science Index (H. W. Wilson); Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts; Medline; CINAHL; ERIC; Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA); and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Studies were included if they were published between 2000 and 2019, in English, reported on library instruction for graduate or professional students, and objectively measured change in information literacy knowledge/skills.Results - Sixteen studies were included in the systematic review; 12 of the 16 studies included sufficient information to be included in the meta-analysis. The overall effect of library instruction was significant [SMD = 1.03, SE=0.19, z=5.49, P<.0001, 95% CI=0.66-1.40], meaning that on average, a student scored about one standard deviation higher on an information literacy assessment after library instruction. High heterogeneity indicated a need for subgroup analysis, which showed a significant moderation of effect by discipline of students, but none by format of instruction. However, subgroup analysis must be viewed with caution due to the small number of studies in several of the subgroups.Conclusions - This meta-analysis indicates that library instruction for graduate students is effective in increasing information literacy knowledge and/or skills. However, to strengthen the accuracy of results of future meta-analyses, there is a need for more precise descriptions of instructional sessions as well as more complete data reporting by authors of primary studies. There is also a need for the publication of more studies, particularly studies of hybrid and online instruction

The Effectiveness of Library Instruction for Graduate/Professional Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Library instruction to improve information literacy (IL) is often considered essential only for undergraduates. However, students in graduate/professional programs do not always have the requisite skills needed for graduate level study and research, which suggests they may also benefit from library instruction targeted specifically to graduate students. This study used a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of library instruction for increasing IL skills and/or knowledge among graduate and professional students. The authors searched seven databases to identify studies published in English between 2000 and 2019 that reported on library instruction for graduate or professional students, and objectively measured change in IL knowledge and/or skills. Sixteen studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review; 12 of the 16 included sufficient information to be included in the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed the overall effect of library instruction was significant with graduate/professional students scoring slightly more than one standard deviation higher on a measure of IL skills after instruction. Subgroup analysis showed no statistically significant moderation in effect by format of instruction; however, there was a significant moderation when comparing the two broad disciplines of health science and non-health science students. To strengthen the accuracy of future meta-analyses, there is a need for larger numbers of studies that measure the impact of library instruction, particularly instruction provided in an online or hybrid format. There is also a need for more precise description of instructional sessions as well as more robust data reporting by authors of primary studies