To better understand, articulate, and improve the academic library's impact on online populations, this two-phase mixed-method study examines library communication with online students and faculty. In phase I, online focus group participants responded to vignettes illustrating library communication scenarios. Results from phase I informed the…

Peer learning dynamics have proven powerful in collegiate contexts. These dynamics should be leveraged at the undergraduate level in academic libraries for reference provision and basic information literacy instruction. Drawing on the literature of peer learning, documented examples of peer reference and instruction in academic libraries, and…

Librarians seek opportunities to improve outreach to faculty and promote shared interests in information literacy. A comprehensive review of syllabi for all undergraduate courses offered during one academic term examined course-level learning outcomes and graded assignments to see how well they aligned with the five Association of College and…

The purpose of this paper was to investigate whether there are relationships between first-year college students' use of academic libraries and four academic outcomes: academic engagement, engagement in scholarly activities, academic skills development, and grade point average. The results of regression analyses suggest students' use of books…

EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) has been heavily used by UMUC students since its implementation in fall 2011, but experience has shown that it is not always the most appropriate source for satisfying students' information needs and that they often need assistance in understanding how the tool works and how to use it effectively. UMUC librarians have…

The emphasis in the Wabash project is on "gates" because the whole span of research opens through about eight different families of resource materials -- catalog, bibliography, encyclopedia, handbook, index, dictionary, abstract, book review source. (36 references) (Author)

Thirty-five library school students enrolled in a course at Peabody Library School on Bibliography of the Social Sciences" were asked to latch on to a graduate student in one of the social sciences, discover his library needs, and see what could be done to meet them. (MM)

This description of the process used and the problems encountered by an amateur super 8 film maker in producing a 13 minute film on a limited budget for use in formal library instruction at the University of California at Berkeley, provides practical advice to prospective film makers contemplating a similar project. The film uses animation to…

Librarians at Rutgers Law Library developed new programs of assistance to students which included: individualized instruction; inclusion of library information materials in registration packets; tours, workshops for introductory classes, printed guides; one-time classes on various subjects; and a newsletter. (LS)

Good reference librarians need to be good interviewers. Unfortunately most librarians have not learned to use the technique of open questions to obtain information about the user and what he is looking for. Examples of open and closed questions with typical responses are given. (4 references) (DH)

University of South Florida librarians developed 1) a library lecture series in which presentations were faculty-initiated and tailored to each situation; and 2) a course to help students develop library skills. A computer analysis of library statistics showed increased student library use since the course has been given. (LS)

The Orientation and Training Task Force of the Temple University Library was charged by the Director of the Central Library System (CLS) in October 1987 to develop plans for a three-level program, including an orientation component for all CLS staff, a second component for staff who regularly work at any public service point, and a third component…

Using simulated reference questions and a search exercise in a standardized list of subject headings, this test assesses several major skills of reference librarians: question analysis, selection of appropriate source, actual use of the source, and selection of appropriate subject terms. It also provides a means of determining the attitudes of…

Bibliographic reference is here defined as identification of documents by combinations of report numbers, accession numbers, contract numbers, personal authors, and/or corporate authors with subject. Bibliographic reference was taught to a non-professional staff member to service an uncataloged collection of scientific and technical reports. (7…

Reference librarians overestimate the knowledge graduate students have about reference sources in the library. Many students responding to the questionnaire could not list indexes and abstracts within their specialty fields. Better library orientation and instruction are needed. (4 references) (DH)