As classrooms and universities strive to adapt their instructional methods to an ever progressing technological age, it is imperative that academic libraries also revisit the ways in which reference and instruction services are organized and implemented. Library Reference Services and Information Literacy: Models for Academic Institutions not only advocates for a more intentional integration of reference and instructional services, but it also provides organizational background, staff objectives, and various successes and challenges that have already been experienced by real institutions. This publication is an important reference source for librarians, practitioners, and university leaders who wish to maximize the current utilization of their resources.
An Introduction to Reference Services in Academic Libraries is a comprehensive textbook that presents compelling case studies and thought-provoking essays that teach the principles of reference services. Eighteen authorities from private and public academic libraries around the United States offer unique perspectives and solid information in an active learning format that requires students to think and learn. The book provides a stimulating starting point for those learning about planning, managing, and evaluating reference services. Each chapter is thoroughly referenced, and many have charts and activities to help spark student engagement in the learning process. Over 30 tables and figures make complex information easy to access and understand.
In an age where data flows non-stop, across all geographic borders and accessible to many, the job of providing information literacy has become much more exciting, more complicated, and more necessary. Information and Data Literacy: The Role of the Library takes a comprehensive look at the changing role of today’s librarians and libraries in an increasingly tech-driven world. You’ll find the authors of this book represent public and academic libraries, countries around the globe, and differences of opinion as to the definition, purpose, charge, and success of providing information and data literacy. The book is divided into several parts, covering: Understanding the role of information and data literacy in the library The new and changing roles for librarians Methods for promoting information and data literacy New challenges for the library in the new information environment The need for information and data literacy for marginalized populations, including the homeless, those in rural settings, sexual minorities, and others Addressing the trends and challenges at different types of libraries, the volume provides an overview of information and data literacy in the library and offers an array of perspectives. Topics cover: The role of the public library as a community hub Student information literacy in the mobile environment Information literacy in schools How the information landscape has changed library reference services Library instruction and exercises to promote information literacy for both traditional students and those in continuing education Edited by a consultant with the Freedom to Read Foundation who is a former outreach and assistive technology librarian, the book offers a wealth of information for beginning librarians as well as for seasoned library professionals looking for new methods to evaluate and promote data and information literacy.
This book examines the questions: how academic libraries provide value-added reference and information services in the digital age. It provides best practices from a global perspective. The book starts by looking at the information needs and info-seeking behaviours of university students and faculty. Then it examines the use cycle: consumer, instruction, and producer. It examines the resource cycle: collection development, instructor, maintenance. What are the essential elements of reference: orientation, instruction, collaborative planning, products? Focuses on information needs and information-seeking behaviours of academic library stakeholders (faculty, students, community) Focuses on technologies: impact on reference and information services (selection, access, interaction, instruction, administration), focusing on the human issues Emphasizes collaborative aspects of reference/info services (with faculty for program/course instruction, with computer services for digital integration, with other libraries for resource
Community colleges are a cornerstone of higher education and serve the unique needs of the communities in which they reside. In 2019, community colleges accounted for 41 percent of all undergraduate students in the United States. Community college librarians are engaged in meaningful work designing and delivering library programs and services that meet the needs of their diverse populations and support student learning. The Community College Library series is meant to lift the voices of community college librarians and highlight their creativity, tenacity, and commitment to students. The Community College Library: Assessment explores the research, comprehensive plans, and new approaches to assessment being created by community college librarians around the U.S. Chapters include sample activities and materials and cover topics including assessing student learning while shifting from Standards to Framework; investigating and communicating library instruction's relationship to student retention; and building librarian assessment confidence through communities of research practice. This book demonstrates the innovative and replicable ways community college librarians are measuring, evaluating, and reflecting on the services they provide, and how to use these assessments to demonstrate the value and impact of library services and advocate for resources.
This inspiring book will enable academic librarians to develop excellent research and instructional services and create a library culture that encompasses exploration, learning and collaboration. Higher education and academic libraries are in a period of rapid evolution. Technology, pedagogical shifts, and programmatic changes in education mean that libraries must continually evaluate and adjust their services to meet new needs. Research and learning across institutions is becoming more team-based, crossing disciplines and dependent on increasingly sophisticated and varied data. To provide valuable services in this shifting, diverse environment, libraries must think about new ways to support research on their campuses, including collaborating across library and departmental boundaries. This book is intended to enrich and expand your vision of research support in academic libraries by: Inspiring you to think creatively about new services. Sparking ideas of potential collaborations within and outside the library, increasing awareness of functional areas that are potential key partners. Providing specific examples of new services, as well as the decision-making and implementation process. Encouraging you to take a broad view of research support rather than thinking of research and instruction services, metadata creation and data services etc as separate initiatives. Dynamic Research Support in Academic Libraries provides illustrative examples of emerging models of research support and is contributed to by library practitioners from across the world. The book is divided into three sections: Part I: Training and Infrastructure, which describes the role of staff development and library spaces in research support Part II: Data Services and Data Literacy, which sets out why the rise of research data services in universities is critical to supporting the current provision of student skills that will help develop them as data-literate citizens. Part III: Research as a Conversation, which discusses academic library initiatives to support the dissemination, discovery and critical analysis of research. This is an essential guide for librarians and information professionals involved in supporting research and scholarly communication, as well as library administrators and students studying library and information science.
Higher education institutions in the United States and across the globe, are realizing the importance of enabling internal and external collaborative work, e.g., interdisciplinary research and community partnerships. In recent years, researchers have documented the benefits of organizational collaboration for research including greater efficiency, effectiveness, and enhanced research reputation. In addition, accreditors, foundations, business, and government agencies have been espousing the value of collaboration for knowledge creation and research and improved organizational functioning. As a result of both the external pressures and the known benefits, many forms of internal and external research collaborations have begun to emerge in higher education. At the heart of this change, academic libraries, who have long been models for collaborative work, are increasingly participating in the research process by providing a widening range of research services beyond traditional reference services. Innovative library services, in areas such as bibliometric analysis, research data management, and data repositories, are evolving in response to changes in education funding and policies. These funding and policy changes have also coincided with technological developments to create opportunities for academic librarians to find new roles within their institutions and the research community. There is a growing body of literature examining these changing academic library roles, but few volumes have concentrated on how the nature of collaborative work in libraries is helping to reshape institutional research practices. Academic Libraries and Collaborative Research Services fills that void by providing academic librarians and administrators with case studies and guidance on how academic libraries are establishing their place in this new collaborative research arena in the areas of emerging liaison roles, research data services, open access and scholarly publishing, and professional development programming. The book will also be useful to higher education administrators and institutional research officers looking for information on how to partner with libraries to increase the effectiveness of collaborative research.
Essays on evaluation techniques for library reference operations in the USA - includes a guide to measurement and planning of services, communication and interview techniques in user-librarian behaviour, computerization of information retrieval, data base structure (includes a case study of a law information system), choice of collections, etc. References.
Effectively assess whether any library is making good use of the reference/user service resources available today Libraries need to develop standards by which they can assess their individual performances in a larger context, and Assessing Reference and User Services in a Digital Age makes significant contributions to this ongoing discussion. The book addresses its subject matter via approaches ranging from case studies of individual libraries to general discussions of best practices. The contributors explore the impact of the Internet on the field of evaluation, focusing on electronic reference and instruction. They highlight current issues, present research results, and offer expert advice on how to assess online reference and instruction. All chapters are well referenced to facilitate further study, and many include tables, appendixes, checklists, and other helpful features that make difficult information easy to access and understand. The chapters that make up Assessing Reference and User Services in a Digital Age are as rich and varied as the backgrounds of their authors. Experienced researchers provide the results of studies conducted to determine the nature and effectiveness of the online reference services offered by various libraries. Practitioners and administrators from different institutional settings (academic libraries, public libraries, consortiums, etc.) provide their perspectives on the issues facing librarians who need to assess the electronic services they provide. In this important new book: Andrew Briedenbagh shows how a chat service can be implemented and suggests which data should be collected for it Buff Hirko examines VET: the Virtual Evaluation Toolkit Ruth Vondracek shares the experiences of a university library as it entered a statewide e-reference consortium, and offers advice and issues to consider before entering such a partnership librarians from San Jose State University present a model for evaluating electronic reference services that can be used in public or academic libraries Kathleen Kern discusses holistic evaluation chat transcripts are addressed in several chapters, including Joseph Fennewald’s comparisons of question categories, Lesley Moyo’s analysis of the use of instruction in the virtual environment, and Caleb Tucker-Raymond’s proposed set of quality measures for chat reference Laurie Probst and Michael Pelikan report on the use of a “Tell Us What You Think” button to gather user feedback Kristi Nelson and Catherine L. Ross examine a research study that asked library school students to submit a reference question online and report on their experiences Melissa Gross, Charles McClure, and R. David Lankes suggest measures to determine the cost and benefits of a virtual reference service librarians from Utah State University describe the development of their online instructional module Assessing Reference and User Services in a Digital Age is designed as essential reading for library administrators, public service librarians, and researchers. It provides general advice for practitioners as well as an examination of research results and methodological issues. We urge you to consider making it part of your professional or teaching collection today.
Lifelong Learning in Public Libraries demonstrates that public librarians can promote learning by combining the elements of Information Literacy Instruction (ILI) with traditional practices of public libraries. This approach contributes to the information enfranchisement of patrons and enhances the fulfillment of the traditional goals and purposes of libraries. Donna L. Gilton provides background on ILI and current developments in public library instruction and also examines educational theories and practices derived from the fields of behaviorism, cognitive psychology, constructivism, and educational humanism. Additional chapters delve into practices developed to deal with diverse groups and translate the theories and practices that have been outlined into a well-coordinated plan. The final chapters survey the role of libraries as cultural institutions. This book introduces the field of ILI to public librarians in the context of their own traditions and shows the unique ways that ILI can be implemented in public library settings. It encourages librarians to rethink practices to incorporate the principles of ILI and will enable public librarians to extend and enrich their instruction on information use. Lifelong Learning in Public Libraries is a valuable resource for librarians, educators, and leaders of public organizations.
