Comparing Library Orientation Programs Within Oregon, Washington & Beyond

1. New Student Library Orientation: Comparing Programs Within Oregon, Washington & Beyond John Repplinger Science Librarian, Willamette University OLA 2009

2. Where This All Began… • Begin responsibility (2004) • Inherit spot in campus orientation • Observe tours as non-participant (2008) • “Average” evaluation (ranked with other campus events) • What are other libraries doing? (fun alternative methods) • No comprehensive survey of all “Summit” instit.

3. Goal of Survey • 18 Survey Questions - (Questions are designed to be vague) • Compare 36 Orbis Cascade Alliance institutions (46 libraries surveyed) • Snapshot of orientations • Capture broad picture • Gauge activities of institutions • “Borrow” good ideas • Share results

4. Orientation Defined They introduce: • Physical facilities of building • Departments, service desks & appropriate staff • Specific services(e.g. reference or interlibrary loan) • How collections are organized(e.g. reduce anxiety about locating materials) • Encourage return visits • Foster helpful & friendly atmosphere (Source: Instruction as a Reference Service, pg 154-5, chapter 6. What is instruction?)

5. Tours vs. Library Instruction • Short amount of time (under 30 minutes) • Just the basics (intro) - Begin awareness & familiarity- Basic resource available to them Focus TOURS LIBRARY INSTRUCTION • Longer amount of time (over 30 minutes) • In-depth coverage (teaching) - How to find resources- How to use resources

6. Why Is Orientation Important? Negative Points • Time investment (campus, library, & student) • Effort coordinating activities • Costs (gifts & student workers) • Increased foot traffic • Resources used by orientation (taken away from library users)

7. Why Is Orientation Important? Positive Points • Build relationships with students • Catch new students early • Showcase “gem” of campus • Introduce services, staff & facilities • Awareness of specific policies

8. Survey Expectations • Different interpretations of “orientations” • Some orientation type at all institutions • Attendance problems • Few attend voluntary programs • Don’t reach students that avoid the library • Too many attend if mandatory • Growing interest in virtual activities

9. Survey Topics Covered • Orientation for New Students • Types of Activities • Types of Resources • Campus Orientation Inclusion • In Existing Classes • Time of Orientation • Info Overload • Virtual Activities • Involvement (voluntary vs. mandatory) • Objectives of Program • Type of Content Covered • Problems of Program • Evaluation & Continuation (Survey questions at end of presentation)

10. Libraries Without General Orientation Any Guesses? 13 Libraries without general orientations • Central Washington University • Clark College • Eastern Washington University • George Fox University • Linfield College (McMinnville) • Marylhurst University • Mt. Hood Community College • Portland Community College • Seattle Pacific University • Seattle University • University of Washington (Bothell) • Warner Pacific College • Washington State University (Pullman)

11. Reasons For No Orientations Reasons (thirteen libraries): • Part of required/non-required classes (x7) • No orientations (x6 libraries) • Schedule conflicts (orientation & staff) • Lack campus admin. Support • Not enough staff Why?

12. Activities & Resources (All libraries) Note: Some libraries have multiple activities • Basic orientation (tours) • Voluntary (x20) • Required (x8) • Info Table/Open House (x8) • Gifts & Incentives (x7) • Contests (x7) • Pamphlets & Fliers (x4) • Passwords (x2) • PowerPoint Present. (x2)

13. Activities Included in Campus Orientation? • Most are incorporated into larger campus orientation (x8 are not) • Arrangement may be out of choice- In key courses already- Too much work for the end results • May reflect lack campus admin. support - Want library to be included, but always excluded

14. Able to Hit the Same Community • Is the library integrated within classes? • 61% Are not integrated* • 39% Are integrated • Includes required & non-required classes • Consistently hit same classes • Mostly writing courses * Classes that inconsistently include the library were grouped with “Not in Curricula” group.

15. Integration within Curricula In classes, no general orientation Not in curricula. No orientations In classes, AND still give general orientation (tours) Not in curricula. But provide General orientations

16. Timing of Orientations • When does the orientation take place? 4 Weeks or Longer • Varies (x5) • Second Semester (x1) • Much later in their academic career! (x1)

17. Virtual Activities • Half with virtual activities!- Several expressed interest • Most are voluntary virtual activities(x18) • Few required activities(x4) • Primarily tutorials • Some competitions (e.g. Photo booth, scavenger hunt, Jeopardy)

18. Virtual Activities BENEFITS • Reach more people • Target specific groups • Not confined by time (24/7 access) • Learn at own pace • More dynamic (fun AND educational) • E.g. CLIP tutorials http://clip-il.wetpaint.com/?t=anon DRAWBACKS • Not physically in building • No face to face interaction • Turn off students if not designed well • Inaccurate or out of date info…

19. Getting Students to Attend? Guess the # of Voluntary Activities? • Majority are voluntary activities (x33) • Rely on good will of students & faculty • Mostly large institutions • Some mixed voluntary & mandatory activities • Require participation (x13) • Primarily part of required course • Mostly small institutions

20. Goals, Content & Evaluations • Goals of Most Libraries • Intro to the physical layout of library • Intro to library web site • Intro to library catalog • Intro to key databases • Intro to key staff – welcoming staff & environment • Evaluations 52% No Evaluations 24% Attendees & Comments 13% Course Evaluations 7% Attendees & Course Evaluations 4% Formal Surveys 4% Developing Evaluation Process Other: Student portfolios, program difficulty level

21. Willamette University Evaluations

22. Willamette Assessed Over Time Student perception of library orientation

23. Same Techniques in the Future Guesses? • Similar program in near future (x36)- Keep it simple- Focus on basics - Not broke, don’t fix it • Add elements (x6) - Virtual activities- Less scholarly - Scavenger hunts- Games • Programs are changing (x4) Will see what happens

24. Libraries Beyond the Alliance • 2004 Oberlin Group survey • Similar findings • Integrate into key courses • Move away from traditional tours • Several alternatives: Poker, root beer floats, audio-tour, treasure hunts, raffles, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, house advisors, Tag Team with ID Cards

25. Discussion • No “correct” way. Many options • Several libraries have no orientations • Attendance is a challenge (except if required) • Larger institutions encourage voluntary activities • Push towards complimentary virtual orientations • Moving towards “Just-in-time” vs. “Just-in-case” • How does library orientation effect student usage of the library?

26. Group Discussion Question How does library orientation effect student usage of the library? Thank you for attending! John Repplinger Science Librarian Willamette University jrepplin@willamette.edu http://www.willamette.edu/~jrepplin/orientation_2009.ppt

27. Questionnaire Most institutions have some degree of orientation to introduce the physical facilities of the library, specific services or departments, collections, and more. These orientations have a wide range of outreach, and are often as different as each institution. The purpose of these questions is to take a snap shot of what is currently being done by libraries in the Orbis Cascade Alliance, and to gauge what other institutions are doing for new incoming students. The questions are sometimes vague in order to get an overall look at how orientation at your institution functions. 10. How do you get the students to participate in the orientation activities? Is it a mandatory group or individual activity, or is it voluntarily?11. What are your objectives for the orientation?12. What content do you cover?13. What kind of problems have you encountered with your program?14. How do you evaluate the success of the program? How would you evaluate your current program's success?15. Have you tried other orientation methods? Why did the method change?16. Do you plan on using the same orientation/training techniques in the near future (e.g. next year or two)?17. If not, what do you plan on changing and why?18. How do you deal with information overload of students? (E.g. Too much info during the first week from various campus entities, and too much info given to students by the library) 1. Does your library provide any orientation for incoming students?2. If there aren't any orientation/training activities, are there reasons why?3. What activities or resources does your library provide that are geared towards incoming students to orient them to the library? (E.g. Tours, sessions/booths, virtual activities, fliers by email or postal mail, gifts, required class, etc.)4. Is the library orientation integrated into a larger institutional orientation?5. Do you have an established time slot within existing curricula (e.g. a new student seminar/course/class)?6. If there is a seminar/course/class that the library orientation/training is integrated into, how is the orientation/training integrated?7. When does the orientation take place? (E.g. Before classes begin, the first week of class, during the first term/semester, etc.)8. Are these activities primarily educational, entertainment, or a combination? 9. Do you have any virtual activities, such as raffles, scavenger hunts, or online tutorials? And are these activities voluntary or mandatory?

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