Is Everything All Right At Night? Measuring User Response to Overnight Library Services

A multiple-methods study was conducted in FY15 at Santa Clara University Library to assess 24/5 hours, focusing specifically on impact and value. The purpose was to assess not only the overnight use of the library, but the perceptions of late-night users on the value of 24-hour library accessibility. This three-component study included a survey (conducted over three quarters in FY15, with 616 respondents), hourly patron headcounts, and more detailed headcounts by hour of day and user activity. A fourth component is also now underway (results available by conference time); hourly patron counts are currently being conducted that focus on user space and seating as a way to determine what types of furniture and environments users prefer. These data will be combined with the activity data to develop more detailed “what are they doing and where are they doing it” assessments to inform library issues ranging from the mundane questions concerning 24/5 staffing, services, and hours to more interesting questions that multiple data sets can answer, such as seating preferences (both library location and type of seating) by time of day (here, after midnight) and activity. Research questions for this study included: How many students make use of overnight hours? What library services do students need/use after midnight? What is the demographic makeup of students utilizing 24/5 library hours, including department and grade point average? Is this representative of the campus as a whole? What types of spaces and seating are preferred in overnight hours? Do students associate 24/5 library access with academic success? Do their self-reported grade points reflect their opinion? How do the perceived value to students and the campus for overnight hours mesh with assessments that point to times of low use and underutilized services? More specifically, how do we weigh the political implications of a data-driven decision? Are data-driven decisions always right? Preliminary results show that (between midnight and 7 a.m.) students overwhelmingly bring their own laptops to work in the library and therefore the primary library service they require is wi-fi. The next most-popular activity type after midnight is student use of a library-owned computer, followed by group study and studying alone. The survey results confirm that traditional library services (i.e. reference, circulation, use of print materials, photocopying) are not driving late-night library use. The enticements are wi-fi, comfortable furniture, different spaces and seating geared to different needs, and simply a safe, “clean, well-lighted” environment. And while there is a clear value users attribute to overnight library hours, few users remain in the library between 3-7 a.m. The variety of data sets used in these analyses result in a wide-range of ways to view and analyze the data. However, multiple data sets can lead to multiple viewpoints. Are data-driven decisions always right? The practical implications of conflicting data will be addressed

Information Literacy: Developing Partnerships Across Library Types

This article describes a grant-funded project with the final goal of creating information literacy collaborative partnerships among academic, school, and public libraries. The objectives of the grant as well as an overall description of the project are stated. The emphasis of the article is on the process followed to create the collaborative partnerships and the partnerships created as a result of the grant

The Relationship Between Service Learning and Research

In Fall 2006, a faculty member in George Washington University\u27s University Writing 20 (UW20) program began incorporating service learning into her theme-based first-year writing course. Along with her librarian partner, they linked two research assignments to the service work of the students. An end-of-semester survey was administrated over three semesters with one question asking if the student\u27s research process was affected by their service experience. In reviewing and analyzing student comments, four themes emerged: increased motivation, use of numerical data and primary sources, increased knowledge in approaching and limiting topics, and the potential for bias

Serendipitous research process

This article presents the results of an exploratory study asking faculty in the first-year writing program and instruction librarians about their research process focusing on results specifically related to serendipity. Steps to prepare for serendipity are highlighted as well as a model for incorporating serendipity into a first-year writing course

How an Outside Facilitator Helped us Create a Better Strategic Plan Staff Publications, Research, and Presentations

Using a facilitator can enhance a library\u27s strategic planning process and lead to the creation of a more clearly articulated strategic plan. Santa Clara University Library used a facilitator for its strategic planning process, which resulted in new vision and mission statements, and a plan centered around five priorities. This article will provide a description of the environment, details of the strategic planning process, the role and benefits of using a facilitator and questions to consider before bringing in a facilitator

The Public Purposes of Libraries: Innovation and Impact Through Service Learning

Libraries are uniquely positioned to support academic institutions that seek to reflect community values and respond to issues of diversity and inclusion. The transformation in higher education is occurring through the incorporation of high impact educational practices and libraries are ideally placed to play a key role in this transformation. High impact education practices increase student retention and engaged and include practices such as learning communities, first-year seminars, internships, and service learning. Service learning integrates credit-based educational experiences with service in the community, and provides students space to reflect on what they have learned. By integrating librarians and information resources into service learning courses, we have the opportunity to provide students with a holistic picture of community needs, demographics, resources, and services. One study on the integration of librarians and service learning found that students were more motivated to search for information, they searched a wider variety of sources, and they were more confident in approaching and limiting their topics. The integration of service learning and libraries is innovative not just for librarians but also for practitioners of service learning. Service learning provides libraries the opportunity to integrate innovative programs by providing real world application of information skills, supporting higher order thinking, and critical information literacy. Integrating information literacy, library resources, and library collections as sites of impact based on community needs supports innovation within the field and practice of service learning itself. While the focus of this presentation is on academic libraries, it is also of interest to public libraries that are looking for innovative new partnerships

Service Learning, Information Literacy, and Libraries

Jennifer Nutefall is the ACRL/IS Ilene F. Rockman Publication of the Year Award winner

Raise Your Profile: Build Your Program

To raise the library\u27s profile within the campus community, it is critical to create a strategic plan and align library goals with those of the university. At George Washington University\u27s Gelman Library, the instruction librarians gained internal and external support to hire two new instruction librarians to better support collaboration with the new university writing program. The library then used assessment data to successfully advocate for an additional two positions