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Empowering Graduate Students: Meeting Information Needs

Explore the results of user-centered library instruction for graduate students, focusing on their information requirements, hurdles faced, and solutions proposed through surveys and focus group discussions.

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Empowering Graduate Students: Meeting Information Needs

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  1. Give graduate students what they want!WHAT THEY REALLY, REALLY WANT Dominic Hakim Silvio Killam Memorial Library Dalhousie University

  2. About Me

  3. Agenda • Introduction • Objectives of the session • Statement of problem • Research instrument • Findings/solutions • conclusions

  4. About You!

  5. Introduction • “an information literate person is an individual who is capable of realizing the need for information, finds, evaluates and effectively uses the information he or she needs” (ALA, 1989) • “studies done on user needs indicate a strong emphasis on planning user oriented services that can provide more responsive, effective and accountable service” • “the aim of the library and information literacy skills curriculum is not only to teach how to locate and access information sources but to develop logical and critical thinking in the students as well”

  6. Motivation • evaluate the library instruction given to graduate students taking into considerations: • their requirements from the library, • how the library can help them; and • what obstacles prevent them from successful exploitation of library resources.

  7. Objectives of the session • To share the results and successes of using user-centered approach • Reinforce the importance of librarians/specialists to conduct an ongoing user-centered studies • Teaching from the students perspective (Bottom-up teaching ≠ Top-down teaching) • Encourage ongoing dialogue among professors and librarians on research methodology to the end of improving student research skills.

  8. Statement of Problem • IL skills and BI based on professional judgement of two players (librarians & teaching faculty) • Instruction provided does not match students' immediate information needs • Assessment of user needs not done • Searchers vs. Finders

  9. Methodology • Surveys • For students both first & second year • Incoming first years (subsequently) • Focus group discussion • Students mainly first years • Faculty involved • Target-research method course.

  10. Survey Questions • How often do you use the library’s OPAC? • How often have you consulted a reference librarian? • How often have you consulted a Subject Specialists/ subject liaison librarian? • How often do you use Databases & online Journals? • How often have you used Interlibrary loan and document delivery services?

  11. Results of the Survey • How often do you use the library’s OPAC? • 20/32 (63%) Very often • 9/32 (28%) often • 0/32 sometimes • 0/32 seldom • 3/32 (9%) never

  12. Results cont’d • How often have you consulted a reference librarian? • 0/32 (0%) very often • 0/32 (0%) often • 24/32 (75%) sometimes • 5/32 (16%) seldom • 3/32 (9%) never

  13. Results cont’d • How often have you consulted a Subject Specialists/ subject liaison librarian? • 0/32 (0%) very often • 0/32 (0%) often • 8/32 (25%) Sometimes • 8/32 (25%) Seldom • 16/32 (50%) Never

  14. Results cont’d • How often do you use Databases & online Journals? • 0/32 (0%) very often • 16/32 (50%) often • 6/32 (19%) sometimes • 6/32 (19%) Seldom • 4/32 (12%) Never

  15. Results cont’d • How often have you used interlibrary loan and document delivery services? • 3/32 (9%) very often • 10/32 (31%) often • 6/32 (19%) sometimes • 6/32 (19%) seldom • 7/32 (22%) never

  16. Focus GroupSample Questions • For more effective and efficient use of the library, graduate students need library instruction on how to use information sources in their subject areas? • Which sections or services in the library do you need the most help with to meet your information needs? • How do you feel about the library instruction offered to graduate students? • Do you think an in class library instruction session for graduate students is something worth attending?

  17. What Next????? • Two things agreed upon: • Orientation for both faculty and grad students • Advance library research session

  18. What the students & faculty say after? • Increased awareness of the significance of their role as researchers and not finders. • Increased awareness of the complexities of research process. • Increased self-confidence in their abilities as researchers. • Improvement in the quality of works cited for essays. • Better incorporation of academic resources in papers.

  19. Thanks. Any Questions ?

  20. Test Your Knowledge!

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