The Internet Cometh

Abstract

The coming of the Internet to the Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville in mid-1994 is described. An Internet team was chosen and trained. The library staff was trained first, then public sessions for faculty and staff were held. Finally the entire campus community was invited to attend Internet classes. E-mail and Gopher/Telnet were the only classes in the early sessions; later ftp, Lynx WWW, Eudora, and subject specific classes were added. Response was enthusiastic, but even requiring sign-up for classes did not solve a non-attendance problem. How to teach (in the absence of a machine or place specifically designated for instruction) also proved to be a challenge. By late 1995, Internet instruction had caught on with a number of instructors and much of the Internet instruction done by the library was professor requested. Internet instruction became incorporated in regular bibliographic instruction patterns.     

Electronic Instruction at Carlson Library

Abstract

In this age of increasing electronic instruction in academic libraries, the University of Toledo's Carlson Library, like many other academic libraries, is trying to come of age. The library's instruction program has traditionally used a paper-based instructional format. However, with the introduction of the library's OPAC, CD-ROMs, the Internet, and OhioLINK in recent years, we are faced with a number of challenges which this paper will discuss. The main challenge is that we are trying to teach electronic resources without a mediated classroom in the library. We need to bridge the gap between the paper-based instruction program and electronic resources because our current teaching methods do not always allow for patron interaction with the technology. Increasingly, instruction is having to take place at the Information Desk, where there are time constraints and library users are unclear about the kinds of information they want or which electronic resources they need. Adapting to these new and growing resources and developing the skills needed to teach them are among the important challenges librarians at Carlson Library face.     

Messages from the Eagle

ABSTRACT

Each year Dacus Library teaches library use to over a thousand freshmen in introductory Writing classes. In the summer of 2000, two reference librarians undertook a revision of the basic methodology of teaching library use to freshmen. This change was necessitated by staff shortages, coupled with increasing enrollment. The resulting virtual tour, which was introduced in fall 2000, combined an existing audio-tape tour with one hour of classroom instruction. The university's mascot, an eagle, was used to lead the students on a tour of all three floors of Dacus Library, with explanations of each location pictured. In addition, the eagle was used to describe and explain the online catalog. The new virtual tour, while still a work in progress, is considered to be a success by students, library faculty and staff, and Writing instruction faculty. You can visit the Dacus Library tour at www.winthrop.edu/dacus/About/Tapetour/Exercises/assignment2.htm.     

Designing Internet Instruction for Latinos

SUMMARY

It is becoming increasingly important to provide appropriate library instruction for the rising number of Latino students enrolling in higher education. Of particular concern is how librarians can provide effective Internet instruction to Latinos. Latino students' needs and learning styles tend to differ from those of the mainstream population from which the majority of librarians come. These differences have implications for the ways that librarians offer instruction. This paper will discuss cultural issues and varying learning styles that librarians need to be cognizant of when working with a Latino population, and will provide guidelines for shaping instruction for Latinos within an Internet environment.     

Usability Testing and Instruction Librarians

ABSTRACT

This study examines how librarians are experiencing usability testing and how their observations are influencing library instruction. A survey of instruction librarians illustrates how usability testing and library instruction are connected. Survey results prove that instruction librarians are involved in usability testing. Furthermore, their participation in usability studies has led instruction librarians to alter their instructional methods. An overwhelming majority changed one or more instructional tools as a result of usability testing, and many reported creating new instructional resources. The authors add their own insights as both instruction librarians and participants in usability testing.     

The Two Instructional Faces of the Web

Abstract

The World Wide Web represents the final step in the evolution of the Internet as a tool worthy for practical applications in instruction. Two particular applications for the Web are discussed in light of projects which have been undertaken in the Helen Topping Architecture and Fine Arts Library at the University of Southern California. First, the World Wide Web may be used as a resource in the library. The Web is a source of content which, like all library resources, must be taught. It should be presented to users along with the same information literacy skills which must accompany any resource. Second, the Web may be used as a publishing tool where the content is created according to the particular instructional need or situation. This usage involves the technology of the Web rather than the content of the Web; this technology is the interface and access capabilities, either local or on a server, provided by the Web browser.     

The S.A.G.E. Project

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the process and creation of a library resources and services Web page within WebCT, a course authoring program that is being used to deliver complete course content over the Internet in a distance education program at The Ohio State University. A librarian at the Prior Health Sciences Library was asked to join a faculty team to teach and provide library services for a series of three courses. The students are working health professionals who cannot attend regularly scheduled classes. Illustrations are included of the WebCT course page and the library resources and services page. The initial process and planning are described, and recommendations for future research are identified.     

Appalachian State University Libraries' Ask A Librarian: A Reference Service for ASU Students,Faculty, Staff,and Alumni

SUMMARY

As dynamic content is filling the Internet, so are choices for implementing this service/tool for Web developers. This article concentrates on one of the solutions that offers choices and tools in a single free package. Zope delivers Web-based content using a variety of sources and Internet connections. At Appalachian State University, Ask A Librarian http://www.library.appstate.edu/reference/askref.html concentrates on using Zope, the PostgreSQL database, e-mail, and the Web to offer patrons the opportunity to receive guidance from reference librarians while at a remote location.     

It Takes a Library to Support Distance Learners

ABSTRACT

The Rochester Institute of Technology Wallace Library's philosophy is to create and provide resources and services that will support all users. Consequently, distance learners and distance faculty have a plethora of online resources available to them, some of which are “pushed out,” saving time and effort for the library user. The evolvement of Wallace's online resources is continuous, focused on the student or professor's research need from a geographic distance.     

More of the Same? Understanding Transformation in Tablet-based Academic Library Instruction

Academic librarians have shared their experiences with tablet computers, but few examine how librarians use tablets in their instruction design. While the education literature provides technology integration models, the nature of library instruction requires adapting these models to the library classroom. After reviewing literature related to tablets in library instruction and a number of technology integration frameworks, this article demonstrates an application of the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition framework to analyze observations of an iPad-equipped classroom at a university library. Demonstrating this use of a framework provides an approach to technology integration and continues the discussion about tablets’ potential to promote innovative pedagogy.     

Library Instruction on the Web

Abstract

With the establishment of the World Wide Web as a standard information tool in academic libraries, there is greater demand for research assistance than ever before. Reference questions involve more teaching time given the number of interfaces clients confront as they navigate the book catalog, electronic databases, and the Web. Librarians require expert knowledge of multiple search strategies at their fingertips as well as the ability to teach others how to apply them effectively. How can instruction librarians use this new medium to serve as a dynamic learning aid to students in the classroom, at the reference desk, in distance education courses, and as a self-directed learning tool? This paper outlines how the Web can function as our latest desktop publishing system, revitalize subject pathfinders and “how-to” guides, and promote the invention of interactive library tutorials. A Web site presenting design ideas accompanies this article at: http://stauffer.queensu.ca/inforef/tutorials/cla/clahome.htm     

The Walden University Library

SUMMARY

Although it is a unit of the Indiana University-Bloomington Libraries, the Walden University Library serves only Walden students and faculty. It is a true virtual library, one that has no print collection but only online databases. Because it is located far from Walden students, faculty, staff, and administration, library personnel put forth great efforts to overcome the negative effects of distance. This article will describe how the library fits into the IUB and Walden institutional structures, and how its librarians and staff proactively connect with the people they serve as Walden experiences fast-moving growth and change.     

Internet Primer

Abstract

The Internet has blossomed as an exciting information-finding tool that appeals to the general public as well as to students and scholars. Consequently, a rudimentary Internet education is in demand on a daily basis by users on campus and in the community. This paper outlines the design, objectives, and evaluation of an introductory Internet workshop offered to a range of users in an electronic classroom. The session was under development for three months during a testing period when subject content, student tasks, and participant learning were examined. The resulting class focuses student attention on an Internet research strategy that facilitates finding information resources.     

Reframing Pinterest: Information Literacy for Interior Design Students

This article discusses providing information literacy to interior design students, specifically how over a few years, and several assignment iterations, we moved from a more traditional one-shot library instruction session to a creative Association of College and Research Libraries Framework-inspired assignment using Pinterest as the medium for the students' professionally relevant research project. The outcome of our instruction relied on flexible assignment planning, collaboration as faculty and librarians changed roles, and a focus on information literacy skills needed by professional designers.     

Library Outreach and Instruction to Academic Departments of Military Science and ROTC Cadets

Colleges and universities across the United States have seen increases in the number of students of traditional college age choosing to enter college and the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) simultaneously to attain college degrees and begin their military careers. ROTC students, cadets, will benefit from knowledge of library services and resources and from specialized library outreach and instruction. Librarians who understand the military system and culture, and who examine their own attitudes toward military service, will be better prepared to work with military science faculty and ROTC cadets. The outreach session to the Department of Military Science/ROTC and the one-session library instruction provided to ROTC cadets by librarians at a Midwestern, comprehensive university are described and assessed.     

A Review of “Hiring,Training, and Supervising Library Shelvers”

Abstract

The emergence of the Internet has dramatically changed information access capabilities through computers. Tools and resources available on the Internet affect library services in various ways. Many health science librarians are using Internet resources to meet the information needs of health care providers and themselves. This study examines different applications of the Internet components in medical library settings with a special emphasis on reference services. It also discusses the role of the Internet in fulfilling National Network of Libraries of Medicine's (NN/LM) objectives and analyzes the merit and demerits of using the Internet as a reference tool in health sciences libraries.     

Book Review: Without A Net: Librarians Bridging the Digital Divide

Tablets present many opportunities to enhance and increase library instruction on college campuses, but it is still unclear if these devices can serve as a one-to-one replacement for a laptop or desktop computer in library database instruction. This study looked at the activities necessary to demonstrate library database features using the web browser application on an iPad and assessed their functionality. Ultimately, actions such as presentation of content, viewing multimedia materials, and using database-specific tools were not a barrier to library database instruction. The ability for students to e-mail themselves the full text of an article appears to be the only major hurdle.     

A Historical Overview of Internet Reference Services for Distance Learners

SUMMARY

The advent of library services and collections on the Internet revolutionized reference services to students enrolled in distance learning programs. Prior to the Internet, reference librarians who supported distance learning programs had few methods, and many of them costly, to provide the equivalent library services advocated by the ACRL Guidelines. Through the Internet, these librarians were able to approximate the services and resources that had always been available to students who came into the library. This article describes the development of reference services on the Internet in a variety of libraries that support distance learners.     

Internet Training

Abstract

Library staff members throughout the world are being introduced to the Internet by means of various training programs. Many libraries are calling on members of their own staff to develop programs for their own libraries. The success of these programs depends on advance preparation, the ability to convey information, and the ability of the trainer to fit comfortably into the training role.