Librarianship and the Culture of Busy

There are not enough hours in a day. We’re busy, we’re pulled in many directions, our attention is needed on so many issues by so many people, and we’re worried about losing our life-balance. This is a fact of life for all of us. This is our environment. Realists know that this is not going away any time soon and that the only solution is to take personal responsibility for managing the busyness of our lives. This constant state of “busy” has entered the fabric of our daily work culture in ways that are damaging to our organizations. Busyness is an increasingly acceptable way to (misguidedly) self-promote or seek recognition, and is used as an excuse to deflect important work and impede progress. The results are resentment among peers and damage to professional reputations

Examining Success: Identifying Factors that Contribute to Research Productivity Across Librarianship and Other Disciplines

While some academic librarians have embraced the role of researcher and have successfully become active researchers and authors, others have struggled to be productive in this aspect of their responsibilities. A content analysis of literature on research productivity for librarians and non-librarians was conducted in order to identify factors that have been found to affect research success. This content analysis is part of a larger study designed to develop an instrument to measure the impact of key factors on librarians\u27 success in research. This analysis reinforces the need to identify and study those factors that are truly antecedents for librarians’ research productivity, so that the academic library community can put our efforts and resources towards providing the supports that will be most helpful

Establishing a model for evidence based collection management

Establishing a model for evidence based collection management Question: How can collection managers and selectors structure their practice so that collection decisions are more evidence based? Can a model be established to provide a framework for decision making in a large academic institution? What questions need to be answered and what sources of information are most appropriate? Where does one begin to find useful information and how can it make a difference in day-to-day work? Setting: The model for collection management decision making was developed for the University of Alberta Libraries (UAL), a large academic library system in Edmonton, Canada. The general model can be applied to other libraries regardless of type. Examples from UAL serve to illustrate practical use of the model and how it can be implemented in practice. Method: A complete review of collection management decision making was undertaken. An examination determined what types of collections questions selectors ask on a regular basis, what things librarians should consider when making acquisition decisions, and the possible sources of evidence to aid selectors. Feedback from staff was incorporated, and the model allied with institutional directions, focusing on a user-centered approach. Main results: In the past, collection management was done purely by librarian expertise and feedback from faculty, with the occasional use of data as it became available, but without a concerted effort to systematically review data and base collections decisions on what that data was telling us. There are overarching questions to which a traditional EBL model may be used to provide insight and answers, while at the same time there are day-to-day decisions which rely on local data and placing that data in the hands of selectors in a timely way and in a useable format. There are also innovative collection projects for which assessment can become a built-in mechanism for future evaluation. All these areas will be reviewed and connected to appropriate sources of data for decision making. Conclusion: This presentation will map out a concrete model that can be used by any library to complement their collections-based decision making. It is grounded in the examples of progress within one academic library. These are preliminary steps in a new way of thinking about collections decision making and how to easily implement data into our day-to-day work. This session will prove valuable for any collection manager wanting to implement concrete change in order to make more effective and user-based decisions

On Evidence Based Practice and Innovation

Commentary on Evidence Based practise and how it relates to innovation

Effective Methods for Teaching Information Literacy Skills to Undergraduate Students : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective ‐ The objective of this systematic review was to assess which library instruction methods are most effective for improving the information skills of students at an introductory, undergraduate level, using cognitive outcomes (measuring changes in knowledge). The study sought to address the following questions: 1) What is the overall state of research on this topic? 2) Which teaching methods are more effective? Methods : This project utilised systematic review methodology. Researchers searched fifteen databases and retrieved 4,356 potentially relevant citations. They reviewed the titles and abstracts for relevance, and of those, 257 complete articles were considered in‐depth using a predetermined inclusion/exclusion form. There were 122 unique studies that met the inclusion criteria and were subjected to an extensive data extraction and critical appraisal process. Of these studies, 55 met author‐defined quality criteria to provide information on the effectiveness of different teaching methods. From this review there was a final group of 16 studies with sufficient information to enable meta‐analyses and calculations of standardized mean differences. Results : The overwhelming majority of studies were conducted in the United States (88%). Experimental or quasi‐experimental research methods were used in 79 studies (65%). Teaching methods used in the studies varied, with the majority focused on traditional methods of teaching, followed by computer assisted instruction (CAI), and self‐directed independent learning (SDIL). Studies measured outcomes that correlated with Bloom’s lower levels of learning (‘Remember’, ‘Understand’, ‘Apply’). Sixteen studies compared traditional instruction (TI) with no instruction, and twelve of those found a positive outcome. Meta‐analysis of the data from 4 of these studies agreed with the positive conclusions favouring TI. Fourteen Studies compared CAI with traditional instruction (TI), and 9 of these showed a neutral result. Meta‐analysis of 8 of these studies agreed with this neutral result. Another group of 6 studies compared SDIL with no instruction, and meta‐analysis of 5 of these agreed that the result was positive in favour of SDIL. Conclusion : Based on the results of the meta‐analysis, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that CAI is as effective as TI. Evidence also suggests that both TI and SDIL are more effective than no instruction. Additional comparative research needs to be done across different teaching methods. Studies comparing active learning (AL), CAI, and SDIL would greatly enrich the research literature. Further studies utilizing appropriate methodologies and validated research tools would enrich our evidence base, and contribute to the growth of knowledge about effectiveness of particular teaching methods

Building an Undergraduate Book Approval Plan for a Large Academic Library

The University of Alberta Libraries (UAL), working with two book vendors, created large-scale undergraduate book approval plans to deliver new publications. Detailed selections profiles were created for many subject areas, designed to deliver books that would have been obvious choices by subject selectors. More than 5800 monographs were received through the book approval plans during the pilot period. These volumes proved to be highly relevant to users, showing twice as much circulation as other monographs acquired during the same time period. Goals achieved through this project include: release of selectors’ time from routine work, systematic acquisition of a broadly based high-demand undergraduate collection and faster delivery of undergraduate materials. This successful program will be expanded and incorporated into UAL’s normal acquisitions processes for undergraduate materials

ReLIANT: Reader’s guide to the Literature on Interventions Addressing the Need for education and Training

Librarians need to be able to read critically published accounts of educational and training interventions (ETI) and to apply the results to their own practice. One mechanism for assisting library practitioners in doing this is the critical appraisal checklist. This article describes the process of developing such a checklist – involving a literature review of existing frameworks and experience in appraising such studies for a systematic review of information literacy skills training. The ReLIANT instrument is offered as a first attempt to equip library practitioners with a tool for use when appraising published reports of educational and training interventions