This study examines how students are using academic library spaces and the role these spaces are playing in the campus community. Data were collected on five campuses (two community colleges, two undergraduate universities, and one technical institute) via observational seating sweeps and questionnaires. The study found remarkably similar usage…

In late 2012, it appeared that the University Library, University of Saskatchewan would likely no longer be able to afford to subscribe to the entire American Chemical Society "Big Deal" of 36 journals. Difficult choices would need to be made regarding which titles to retain as individual subscriptions. In an effort to arrive at the most…

"Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs" (AASL, 2009) charges school librarians "to play a leading role in weaving such skills throughout the curriculum so that all members of the school community are effective users of ideas and information" (p. 46). Providing leadership in technology integration for…

Educators often ask how to motivate PhD students. Before addressing how to motivate students, we should know what motivates prospective doctoral students. Motivational support has been shown to lead to overall satisfaction with the educational process, better engagement, and persistence. Using the interdisciplinary field of library and information…

While it is essential for life science students to be trained in modern techniques and approaches, rapidly developing, interdisciplinary fields such as bioinformatics present distinct challenges to undergraduate educators. In particular, many educators lack training in new fields, and high-quality teaching and learning materials may be sparse. To…

The article explores the problem of introducing resource-based learning (RBL) in higher education institutions as a holistic dynamic process of organizing and stimulating the independent cognitive activity of students for mastering the skills of the active transformation of the information environment, which involves the optimal use of the triad…

This article reports comparison results from studying the alignment of selected metadata models, used to manage E-Learning Materials (ELM) in the medicine and healthcare education, against the accreditation standards of the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME). The study aims to (1) illustrate the variety of…

Over 1,200 community colleges nationwide enroll over ten million students annually, with more than one in four students taking online courses. Given postsecondary education's increased focus on resources beyond the classroom, a logical line of exploration is the link between academic library usage and library aptitudes and attitudes. This study…

This empirical study examined the relationship between Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality types and preferred teaching methods for 507 Saint Joseph's College of Maine undergraduate students. The students completed two instruments: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, Form M (Myers, McCaulley, Quenk, & Hammer, 1998), and a 27-item…

For one-shot instruction sessions, formative assessment is the most feasible method for gathering data to aid contingent teaching, the practice of adapting to learners' needs. Various technologies aid in the quick and efficient gathering of data on student learning in the classroom that can be used for formative assessment. Outside of a library…

The main objective of this study is to find out from which sources university students obtain their information and communication technology (ICT) skills, and the role of informal peer learning in this process. The results of the survey indicate that peer learning is regarded as the most important source for acquiring ICT skills among the Library…

Google Scholar and academic library discovery systems are both popular resources among academic users for finding scholarly information. By conducting an online survey with 975 users from more than 20 public research universities across the United States, this study comparatively investigates how and why academic users use these two resources.…

Everyone has an object that holds a special meaning. It is human nature to collect these objects and value the stories they tell. Entire buildings have been built just to hold and display such items. Museums not only house these objects but help us connect to the past and our culture as well as the culture of others. In the state of Arkansas, few…

This paper describes the design of an innovative educational experience that took place during the summer of 2011 with a cohort of library science students at Appalachian State University. This group of students, working online in their own virtual public libraries, engaged in an extended epistemic game that required the participants to undertake…

Little is known about the intellectual journey of advanced undergraduates engaged in the research process. Moreover, few studies of this population of library users include students' personal essays as a point of analysis in their scholarly pursuits. To gain insights into the research trajectory of apprentice researchers at the University of…