ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

ACRL addresses the future, part 2

This is the second part of our report on the programs offered at ACRL’s 8th National

Conference in Nashville. Part one appeared in the June issue. C&RL News thanks the many volunteers who agreed to report on the sessions. Their help is appreciated.

Assessment takes a variety of forms

In “Assessing Library Learning to Improve Teaching and Outcomes,” Bonnie Gratch-Lindauer’s (City College of San Francisco) paradigm categorized instructor good practice criteria and learner competencies, relating each criterion of regional accreditation standards or institutional goals to an indicator and the corresponding method of data collection. Librarians must be involved in this activity critical to their institutions. Similarly, Mignon Adams (Philadelphia College of Pharmacy & Science) stated, “If we don’t document what we add to higher education, someone else may take our place.” Focus groups are one of the best mechanisms of assessment because they reveal underlying attitudes. Bonnie Anne Osif (Penn State University) advocated the use of the concept map, a graphical, hierarchical representation going from general to specific which shows relationships, organizes information, and links new information to prior knowledge. Concept maps are used as indicators of students’ knowledge before and after a class, as aids for instructors to find weaknesses in their presentations, as an active learning exercise, and as organizational frameworks for presentations. Molly Royse (Kansas State University) and Susan Henthorn’s (Berea College) longitudinal study at Berea College generated qualitative and quantitative data. Freshmen undergo tests covering knowledge and attitudes before and after their one-semester course. Faculty are surveyed to discover their attitudes toward libraries and librarians. Focus groups yield data about junior-year students’ attitudes and abilities relating to their freshman library experiences. Librarians evaluate the bibliographies of senior capstone papers.—Anne Berwind, Austin Peay State University

The client is always right

In her talk titled “Waiting for the Electrician,” Mary Bolin (University of Idaho) described how she began her study of client centeredness because she felt it was just a current buzz phrase being used to abuse librarians. She learned that the term comes from the mental health profession and describes a form of treatment in which the counselor tries to assume the inner frame of reference of the client and see the world as the client does.

Bolin concluded, after surveying the library literature, that librarianship is the client-centered profession. She said we should not be intimidated by claims of the private sector leading the way, but be ourselves and continue to build on the strengths of the programs and services we provide.

Her specific recommendations for technical services were to keep all types of clients in mind and identify with the user. Make certain we know what we are doing and be willing to take risks. If a client asks for something we should say “yes” first. Keep a positive mind set; a willingness to consider changes and new ways of doing things which would be more helpful to our clients. She says we should catalog everything, be visible, be a part of whatever is going on, and take credit for our expertise.—Dianne Delong, Illinois State University

Users confront e-journals

In “The Nature of the Electronic Journal: Structure and Use of Information in Scholarly Electronic Journals,” Barbara DeFelice (Dartmouth College) discussed the Dartmouth Web journals test, the nature of the electronic journal, user reactions to Web journals, and challenges to library user services. One of the goals of the study was to better understand how faculty and students use and find out about Web e-journals. The user feedback was particularly interesting as it seemed that while users liked the idea of having access to e-journals, they didn’t necessarily like using them. The user needs to be able to rely on the access to and content of the e-journals. The time involved in printing an article from an e-journal was also a big issue for many faculty members.

DeFelice concluded that it is not enough for libraries just to provide access to e-journals. Librarians should take the extra step of showing users how to use them. She also suggests that as librarians, we now have a “window of opportunity” in which to guide e-joumals in a direction that is beneficial to scholarship.— Linda A. Rich, Bowling Green State University

Journal access: What do faculty really need and how do they get it?

Judith Johnson and Betty Rozum (both Utah State University) reported on their 1994/95 survey on the journal information-seeking behavior of faculty and researchers. They wanted to determine 1) where faculty obtained journal materials that neither they nor the library owns; 2) how faculty found out about these articles; and 3) what faculty might be willing to do personally to broaden access to journal information. The librarians found that the five major sources of these needed journals were personal subscriptions, interlibrary loan, other libraries, colleagues, and reprints. Faculty identified articles in journals not owned by USU through citations in other articles, periodical indexes, word of mouth, and the Internet. A follow-up survey was sent to individuals who reported that they personally subscribed to journals not owned by the library; 90% indicated a willingness to share their journal issues with other colleagues. From this data, librarians built a centralized database of journal titles that faculty were willing to share. Future plans include monitoring and maximizing the resource sharing already in practice and tracking Internet and electronic journal use. Members of the audience raised questions about the systematic sharing of personal journal subscriptions.— Linda A. Brown, Bowling Green State University

Student searching on a "wired" campus

As Skidmore College was recently ranked one of the top 25 most “wired” campuses in the country, this study of Skidmore students entitled “Undergraduate Students and the Digital

The exhibits hall at the conference was home to 756 exhibitors from more than 150 companies showing their state-of-the-art products and services.

Library: Information-Seeking Behavior in a Heterogeneous Environment” was of particular interest. Kris Szymborksi began the session with an overview of the study which was designed to provide insight into student research patterns and perhaps some of the differences that contributed to more successful search models.

The study design consisted of individual interviews, group interviews of experienced researchers, and group interviews with students working on senior theses. The subjects, who included 29 upperclass men and 42 women, were working on a variety of research assignments, and J of the group had done database searching multiple times. When asked how they learned to use computers, bibliographic instruction in the library came in a distant fourth and the top two methods included one-on-one instruction with a librarian and self-teaching.

Peggy Seiden, elaborating on the results and conclusions, mentioned that few students chose wholly inappropriate databases, and that they generally coped with information overload fairly well. They perceived their searches as successful even if they pulled up 200,000 hits. This might be due to their tendency to look at the material that comes up first and then ignore the rest.—Debbie Malone, Ursinus College

Pioneer librarians

“The Academic Librarian As Transformation Leader” highlighted the work of the Consortium for Educational Technology in University Systems (CETUS). The partners in CETUS are: the State University System of New York, the California University System, and the City University of New York. CETUS has published a Discussion Series of four booklets:

Jim Harris makes a point about job security during his presentation on "The Learning Paradox.”

• The Academic Library in the Information Age: Changing Roles;

• Fair Use of Copyrighted Works: A Crucial Element in Educating America;

• Information Resources and Library Services for Distance Learners: A Framework for Quality,

• Ownership of New Works at the University: Unbundling of Rights and the Pursuit of Higher Learning.

For information about ordering print copies of these publications at a modest cost, contact: bonnie@calstate.edu. The publications will soon be available electronically at: http:// www.cetus.org.

In addition to the theoretical discussion, two of the panel members spoke about their own experiences setting up a valuable Web-based teaching tool.

As a very practical example of a collaborative effort among faculty, librarians, and vendors, Michael Long and Nancy Nuzzo (both SUNY-Buffalo) spoke about the techniques they used to put together the University of Buffalo musicology homepage (http:// wings.buffalo.edu/academic/department/ AandL/music/mh.html).

Some concern was expressed that although librarians are encouraged to take on new entrepreneurship roles, these skills have not yet become part of promotion criteria for librarians.—Pat Viele, Cornell University

The Web—libraries and information providers

A very diverse group of presenters was put together for the panel session entitled “Taking the Lead: The Role of the Library and the Information Provider in the Age of the World Wide Web.” Boyd Collins (Rutgers University) discussed the Infofilter Project and his Library Journal “Webwatch” column as ways to provide reviews of good Web sites. He elaborated on his criteria including: content (comprehensiveness, uniqueness), authority, organization, searchability of site, currency, and quality of graphic design.

Dan Bosseau (San Diego State University) argued that libraries need to respond to the opportunities presented by the World Wide Web. Among libraries’ advantages for taking a leadership role are the general perception of their reliability, interest in quality control, and experience with archiving. He said library involvement in Web development issues on campus should be pursued because it is a “good thing to do” and it is “politically correct to be seen as successful.”

Jacqueline Trolley (Institute for Scientific Information, publishers of Current Contents) discussed the scholarly publishing environment and the various players in the competitive Web market. According to Trolley, ISI believes the “quantity and quality of journal materials is paramount.” They also recognize the importance of an end-user interface. They hope to create a linking environment to link bibliographic databases to primary publisher content.

Dan Woods (Information Access Co.) discussed the need for and problems associated with authentication of the remote user accessing copyrighted databases. He said Webaccessed databases must restrict remote Web access to registered library users, be quick and easy for libraries and for users, and safeguard the user’s right of privacy.—Bartow, University of Nebraska

Technology, learning, and the customer

One of the most important and valuable models librarians have borrowed from the business world has been that of the customer. No library organization can function effectively unless the needs of both the external customer (the patron) and the internal customer (the staff member) have been met. Although one would assume the concept of customer service to be an intrinsic part of the goals of any library, how often have we all seen the human services aspect of our profession take a back seat?

In “Libraries and the Post-Job Organization” Lori Goetsch (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) examined a world in which work and jobs would be defined by customer needs, not by job descriptions, organizational hierarchies, and restrictive personnel policies. The most successful and satisfied people in the age of technology will be the ones who are able to assume multiple roles as needed and who can learn new specialties quickly in an ever-changing work environment.

The importance of having a customer-driven organization was emphasized even further by Gary Geer (University of South Carolina) in “The Productivity Paradox: Implications for Libraries.” He proposed several reasons why our investment in computer technology has not always resulted in the desired payoffs. Technology by itself adds no value to the customer, and even the best equipment will not overcome deficient training or poor management.—Maija M. Lutz, Harvard University

Distance learning via the Web

Needing to teach 3,000 freshman composition students information-seeking skills and replace the freshman library workbook that has been used at James Madison University for more than 12 years are what prompted the Carrier Library reference staff to design Web-based instruction modules in summer 1996. Lynn Cameron and Lorraine Evans presented to a standing-roomonly crowd an overview, advantages, areas needing improvement, future plans, and an evaluation of their Web-based instruction programs in “Go for the Gold: A Web-based Instruction Program.” “Go for the Gold” has 17 modules which all English composition faculty are required to use. An advantage to using the Web as a teaching medium is that it is accessible to students and faculty at all times from the library, computer lab, dorm, or home. A more computer-literate faculty is an area that needs improving. A new version of “Go for the Gold,” faculty training programs, and more pretests are planned. Cameron believes “this is an evolving project and will take time to make it an effective teaching tool.”—Nancy Allen, University of South Florida at Sarasota

The learning organization

This preconference subtitle tells it all: “The Learning Organization: Developing Skills to Work in Teams and Solve Problems.” Presenters Maureen Sullivan (consultant) and Shelley Phipps (University of Arizona) spent all day outlining the three disciplines of the learning organization: mental models, team learning, and personal mastery. Mental models, they said, are reflections of the people within organizations. The learning organization asks everyone to question their thinking processes, and adjust them for the organization’s good. Our mental models must survive scrutiny and reflect reality as they change and grow. This scrutiny leads to empathy, which then allows awareness and creativity to flourish within the organization.

Kate Nevins talks about the “joys of cooperating” in her presentation on “Partnerships and Competition.”

Team learning involves a deep understanding of dialogue, a tactic that seeks out individual differences as a method to achieve progress. Set guidelines for your dialogues, they urged, so that organizational growth can occur. Such guidelines might include: listening carefully, respecting opinions, sacrificing ego, and experimenting with ideas. The biggest barrier to team learning is becoming defensive! Personal mastery asks individuals to take responsibility for their own learning. This involves gathering information and inviting feedback regularly. It also acknowledges mistakes as employees see themselves part of a more meaningful process.—Kathy Sanders, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Nevins encourages partnerships

Kate Nevins’s invited paper, “Partnerships and Competition,” promoted alliances for libraries. Nevins (SOLINET director) reviewed successful library partnerships, then outlined the challenges and benefits of cooperation. Partnerships appeal to librarians’ service natures, but are outweighed by unappealing competition. Yet competition exists and librarians must turn it into beneficial partnerships. The “joys of cooperating,” she said, exist in ILL, OCLC, state, and regional networks. These concepts we embrace. But challenges like reaching out to corporations, blending With unfamiliar organizational cultures, or reshaping comfortable infrastructures must also be embraced. “Never underestimate the value of being connected,” Nevins said. Lawrence Dowler (Harvard College) and

John Secor (Yankee Book Peddler) reacted to Nevins’s paper. Dowler, who expressed the “contrarian” point of view, acknowledged libraries’ successes, but quickly noted failures. He expressed concerns about the proliferation of databases, failure to collect and preserve for future generations, and loss of collective memory when organizations downsize. “Will we forget,” he warned, “why we were here in the first place?” Secor’s remarks were intended to add value to Nevins’s talk. He encouraged librarians to consider themselves entrepreneurs and enter business arrangements fearlessly. “It’s just plain dumb to go it alone,” he said.—Kathy Sanders, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Beyond affirmative action—towards diversity

In “Securing Full Opportunity in American Society: If Affirmative Action Is Not Our Best Strategy, Then What?” Sheila Creth (University of Iowa) focused on employment in higher education generally and academic libraries specifically. She argued that without a whole-hearted commitment to equality of opportunity for all, affirmative action is imperative. Citing statistics from Christopher Edley’s Not All Black & White: Affirmative Action and American Values, Creth documented the anticipated growth in the minority population during the next 20-25 years. These demographic changes will be reflected on college campuses where a more diverse population demands more diverse staff. Creth also offered statistics to illustrate the disparity of opportunity between blacks and whites.

Challenging traditional arguments against affirmative action, Creth debunked the notion that preferential treatment implies lack of merit. She cited numerous factors unrelated to merit by which people have advanced in the library profession. To those who argue that beneficiaries of preferential treatment will suffer the stigma of being regarded less qualified, Creth argued that doing without special treatment is worse than enduring the stigma.

The new ideal of promoting organizational diversity to ensure equality not only goes beyond preventing or compensating for discrimination but also enhances services by guaranteeing fresh perspectives on, and approaches to, the work of academic librarians.—Dorothy Fitzgerald Glew, Moravian College

Multimedia information literacy

An innovative project designed to increase student information competence was presented in “The Student-Centered Electronic Teaching Library: A New Model for Learning.” Referred to as SET, the program at Cal Poly is a combination electronic classroom, multimedia laboratory, and information concourse. Irene Hoffman provided background on the initiative, whose focus is producing learning rather than providing instruction. Funding was provided through an increase in tuition and the new revenue was distributed to new projects which could demonstrate a direct impact on students.

The SET library incorporates a laboratory classroom as well as small group seminars, drop-in clinics, course-related one shots, and credit courses with emphasis on collaborative learning across disciplines. The Web-based interactive teaching module with classroom experiences that demonstrate information competency skills can be seen at: http://www.lib. calpoly.edu/infocomp.

Paul Adalian described the renovated classroom/laboratory which included 16 terminals on 4-5 foot tables allowing plenty of space for 2-3 students to work together and use print sources in conjunction with the online materials. He demonstrated some of the active learning strategies he uses in the classroom which included students in groups of three creating search statements on white boards around the laboratory, and a takeoff on the conceptual approach in which students complete worksheets before they receive instruction on a particular electronic resource.

Judy Swanson described the collaboration between the multimedia specialist and the reference librarians in creating fascinating animated instructional modules using Macromedia Director and other software tools. In the classroom, students become familiar with basic page layout, design, and presentation through assignments using Microsoft Powerpoint and Web authoring tools such as html and Adobe Pagemill, an html editor. Swanson demonstrated one of the modules in which clips from Star Wars were incorporated into instruction on searching for movie information. Fair use laws allow use of 30-second clips in an educational environment, and discussion of such ethical use of recorded information becomes part of the course.—Debbie Malone, Ursimts College

DE library leaders deliver instruction differently—creatively!

The institutional diversity that typifies distance education was exemplified by extended campus librarians during the program “Library Instruction for Off-Campus Students: Four Views of Services and Support.”

Janet Feldman (Indiana University-Purdue University-Columbus) gave a branch librarian’s view. Characterizing her institution as “beginning the odyssey,” she discussed serving 1,800 community students 50 miles from the nearest large campus. For her, instruction means “teaching the library all day” and offering formal classroom instruction using a research case study approach with clear instructional objectives and learning outcomes.

Anne Casey (Central Michigan University) discussed introducing off-campus students to OCLC’s FirstSearch databases on the Web. The CMU program reaches students in 17 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico. Beginning about 18 months ago, CMU’s FirstSearch instruction has involved in-class presentations, detailed searching instructions, program newsletter features, and garnering faculty support.

Jean Caspers (Oregon State University) described the first stages of a Web tutorial that reflects the conceptual components of a library research strategy. Through hypertext links, students explore strategy aspects and refine their thinking about each aspect’s applicability to a topic. In using the tutorial, students experience the circularity and multidimensionality of various research phases.

Conference attendees are treated to a night of country line dancing at the Wild Horse Saloon.

Susan Barnes Whyte (Linfield College) reported on a teaching/reference librarian support initiative she has spearheaded in an English research writing course. She effectively used computer conferencing for students to post formal assignments, work in small groups, and informally chat online. This approach has created a “community of learners who don’t come to campus, but are actively engaged in self-directed as well as collaborative learning.”—Maryhelen Jones, Central Michigan University

E-Journals—are they so different?

In “Electronic Journals—Are They Really So Different? The Findings from an Academic Library’s Pilot Project,’’Ball State University (BSU) librarians Stanley Hodge, Suzan Burks, Brad Faust, Diane Hunter, Lesley Milner, and Rebecca Sheffield described an aggressive program at BSU to make electronic journals available to users and to integrate these resources into the collections. A team of librarians participated in the decision-making and implementation of the pilot project. The group identified issues, assigned them to departments, and coordinated their efforts (e.g., access services staff checked equipment and Internet resources daily with assistance from the serials cataloger).

Selectors considered the added value of e-journals, needs for user training, and seamless access from public workstations as well as curricular and research needs for new titles.

After a year’s study, only four titles out of 64 were found to be true equivalents to the printed products. Deselection decisions were made frequently as serials migrated or changed.

Web cover pages were created by the cataloging staff for each e-journal. A record was also established in the OPAC. Double listings were viewed as a means of promoting a new service and offered ways to track use.

Assistance was offered with electronic journals at the periodicals floor in addition to the reference area. Verification of URLs and citations in an electronic world was found to share much with printed counterparts. However, the phenomena of vanishing sites was a new experience.

Topics identified for future decisions included interlibrary loan, reporting holdings to OCLC, and expanding services of e-journals to off-campus users.—Pam Cenzer, University of Florida ■