Academic Libraries: Planning for the Future
It is no secret that libraries are undergoing a time of transition. Emerging technology, coupled with the advent of the up and coming generation, demands that libraries and information resources change along with the times. How will academic libraries be different in the future?
In the article, “From Place to Function: Academic Libraries in 2012”, (http://alpha.fdu.edu/~marcum/bailin_grafstein.doc) Alan Bailin and Ann Grafstein speculate as to the academic library’s relevance in a digital era. The main thrust of their argument is that the library is going to be defined by its function, not its place, the physical building that houses “The Library.” (Bailin & Grafstein) Since many library resources can now be accessed remotely, the question becomes how to make the reference librarian readily available to help guide patrons in their searches, when they are not physically at the library. Again, the focus changes from place to function. It matters not where a patron is when information is accessed; what becomes most important is how the information is used and interpreted in order to ensure meaningful research.
Social Networking has become synonymous with the Internet for many young (and not so young) users. Academic libraries can either reject the trend or use it to the mutual benefit of the libraries and the young patrons. On a positive note, many academic libraries are embracing and encouraging the online communication. In his article, “Are Reference Desks Dying Out? (university library reference services)”, Scott Carlson mentions how a librarian at the University of Michigan has struck a balance between high and low-tech. “Eric Frierson, a young librarian at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, uses instant messaging, e-mail, blogs, and Facebook for reference services…” (Carlson 1320) He goes on to note that Frierson also provides a “Librarian With a Latte” session, where he goes to coffee houses and helps students who come in. He is an example of an academic librarian who sees the importance of both online and real life interaction; furthermore, he makes fruitful attempts to meet the students where they are, both literally and figuratively. Again, “function” takes precedence over “place”.
Discussion Questions
1.) 1. We have all witnessed incorrect information on the World Wide Web. Students need to be discerning Internet users. How can we as librarians ensure this?
2.) 2. What tools could academic librarians use to assist patrons who may not be physically “at the library”?
3.) 3. Read the ACRL’s “Top Ten Assumptions for the future of academic libraries.” (http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/march2007/acrlfl07.htm) What does the academic librarian need to do in order to keep up with the changing job description?
Works Cited
Bailin, A. & Ann Grafstein (n.d.). From Place to Function: Academic Libraries in 2012. Retrieved 2008, from http://alpha.fdu.edu/~marcum/bailin_grafstein.doc
Carlson, S. (2007, April 20). Are Reference Desks Dying Out?(university library reference services). The Chronicle of Higher Education , 1320.
23 comments:
I believe that Wayne State's Undergraduate Library is using this emerging technology to move forward and benefit the users, most of whom are the young, tech-savvy millennials that grew up with social networking. In this semester's LIS 6120, Access to Information class on 1/17/08, our instructor, Duryea Callaway--a librarian at the UGL, demonstrated how the library's virtual reference desk works (Ask-A-Librarian available via the Library's homepage). This is accommplished through the use of instant messaging. Products are available to assist libraries in offering 24/7 service 365 days a year.
As stated in the Carlson article, many libraries use email to generate off-site reference questions as well. At Monroe County Library System, email requests generate about 13 requests a week (these statistics are from this past summer). http://monroe.lib.mi.us/research_resources/ask_reference/main.htm
I'm not sure why the link went off the side of the page like that, but hopefully it will show completely this time.
http://monroe.lib.mi.us/
research_resources/ask_
reference/main.htm
Mary, if you want to use a link, try putting in <a href='http://www.yourlink.com'>Click Here</a>. This should produce a link, thusly: Click Here.
UDM's Re:Search Portal has been using email a librarian for some time. Last year we employed a 24/7 reference chat feature that uses java to allow a reference librarian to guide you through the library's homepage by remote, in addition to using IM-style chat. It's a really excellent feature that I don't think gets enough use.
First of all I want to say that I think the “Librarian With a Latte” idea is ingenious. He has taken the idea of function vs. place to heart from the article “From Place to Function: Academic Libraries in 2012”.
I think we, as librarians, have actually jumped into these new waters rather bravely and intelligently. From everything I have read for this and my 6080 course, as well as what I have learned from working with people in an academic library setting, we understand the necessity of staying relevant, but we are also asking all the right questions concerning how to do it well. We have easily and quickly starting using technology like IM for it's obvious ability to cater to those outside the library, but have taken a little longer to jump into areas like second life. Although second life has also become a meeting place for those hoping to learn and interact outside a normal library setting.
Check out this link from the MLC:
Click Here
I like some of you think that making librarians available in other locations or by e-mail or IM is a great thing. However reading the article I line stuck out to me. Carson said.."A patron might come to a reference desk with a question about a particular topic, and through gentle prodding and years of expertise, a librarian will discover that the patron is really searching for something completely different and may not even know it." This to me is one reason why librarians should still be available to meet with students in person. In the past when I have done research the librarian was not only able to answer my question but was able to recommend other documents I should refer to based on our conversation. I feel that if I had not been there in person I would not have received any additional information other than what I asked for. I'm not saying that reference librarians have to sit at the desk, but they should be available to meet with in person.
Yes it is important to keep up with the changes in technology as well as the needs of the patrons, but I am probably the only person not ready for a virtual society.
Hi, Kimberly. I, at least, don't think that we should replace IM and email and other virtual communication with face to face interaction in a 'real' library. I do, however, think that by taking advantage of these new technologies we can augment and supplement the way that we meet new library users, allowing us to interact with them in an environment they find comfortable, before we expect them to trek to the physical library. I also think that searching out new ways to interact with students in a physical space other than library is an inspired idea that doesn't use any 'new' technology, but is inventive.
There are many tools that academic librarians can use to help users who are not physically at the library. There are obvious ones like IM and email. IM has obvious benefits in that you can conduct real time reference interviews where with email a reference interview can take days depending on schedules, time zones, etc. As mentioned in the original posting blogs, wikis and Facebook can be used as well. Library website design is critical. With many library sites one has to go into them with some knowledge and experience. How do you best help an undergraduate who is just learning how to do serious research? I have seen some "flow chart" type sites which guide users through research steps. Here is one from the undergrad library at UofM http://www.lib.umich.edu/ugl/searchpath
Subject specialists can create helpful subject pages. Another way is to make bibliographic records, articles and databases more search accessible through tagging and other tools. Having more content online like Googlebooks available will be helpful as well. This article in libraryjournal.com mentions the use of Second Life as a way to reach users virtually. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/
CA6483913.html There seem to be a lot of ways to connect with users. We have to make the effort to stay relevant.
Thank you, Russell. I'm giving it a try and we'll see if it works. Here goes...
Click Here
The "Librarian with a Latte" session is a great idea. It can really be applied to any type of library as well. Not only does it offer a comfortable setting, but it also gives patrons and librarian a chance to relax and converse and learn from each other.
Being a shy person I often felt uncomfortable approaching the librarians behind their desks in a library (even through undergraduate schooling). Patrons of any type of library can feel uncomfortable approaching a librarian for various reasons. The “Librarian with a latte” idea can get everyone in a relaxed setting where ideas can be exchanged.
-Holly C.
I like the idea of the “librarian with a latte” session idea because it gives patrons more of a chance to relax in a modern setting and provides convenience from them as well. I think that using more of the social networking tools available today is a great example of how libraries can become more modern and updated to society and is an opportunity for libraries to really show the importance of the library science field. I think that Eric Frierson is a library innovator and understands how to balance the needs of patron’s interaction preferences.
As librarians we can teach our students and patrons to be discerning users of the world wide web by creating an environment in which it is an active part of research. If a patron is taught to think critically to the web and the types of information avaliable to them they can become more discern because they are educated.
There is a website through the UCLA College library that gives a list of questions to ask when evaluating a resource on the web. http://www.library.ucla.edu/college/help/critical/
When I taught writing at NMU, I utilized a similar list of questions when instructing students on how to evaluate websites for research papers. It taught them to not only think critically about their subject matter, but also to question their sources. As librarians we must take the same approach with students. Teach them to be critical.
I love reference to Librarian with a Latte from Carlson's article.He assists patrons through various e-mail, facebook, etc. and he sits in a coffee shop and assists. I think it is essential as librarians to be where you are needed whether that is in a virtual space or a real space. A librarian must be able to transition easily between those two worlds.
Searchpath
I hadn't seen UofM's Searchpath before. Searchpath is an open source product that's been kicking around for a bit. Any interested library should be able to get a copy of the original code from a hosting institution. The product is one I'm intimately familiar with: UDM (where I work) has its own version which we re-branded as Searchquest and which yours truly redesigned. In addition to changes in appearance, our version has streamlined code, which makes it easier for less technologically-inclined librarians to update pages.
Several classes, including some at the graduate-level, require that students complete all or some of Searchquest. Our version actually allows users to email the results of their module quizzes to their professors (I think we inherited this feature from the WMU version). We've also provided some customized modules for specific areas of study (such as Education or the Health Professions), which focus on using databases that are particularly helpful in those areas of study. Most recently, we've been working on providing interested faculty with Searchquest modules as packages which can be imported directly into a Blackboard course site.
Second Life
Though I'm usually a fan of technology, I'll confess I'm not a fan of Second Life. I understand that it's on the list of the latest hip fads, but I'm not convinced of its usefulness to most libraries and their users ... Generally, Second Life is IM with a graphically-oriented interface. Using Second Life requires installation of the SL software, creation of an account, a fairly hefty computer and bandwidth. For an institution to establish a continuing presence, virtual space must be purchased. Then that virtual space must be furnished, interactivity must be provided, and librarians must populate it. Keep in mind, this expenditure is to serve a community of about 519,000 active users as of December (Linden Lab reveals latest Second Life economic metrics, 2008). Although the technology is interesting, I'm a little concerned that a number of institutions may be investing in Second Life simply based on hype.
I see some institutions providing services in SL that don't make much sense to me. How does training over SL make more sense than providing short-form java or flash-based learning modules served directly from the library homepage? Especially when these sorts of modules can be both synchronous and asynchronous, and the tools involved are designed specifically to provide the training at hand? Why provide 'book clubs, education events, lectures, classes, and simulations of library services' in Second Life when you can provide these same services, only using voice, video and without the requirement of a SL avatar, using software such as WIMBA, or other java-based chats?
Also
Nice link, Mary V.!
Any academic library today needs to change some of their methods to assist todays students who have very different ways to finding information. It is important for librarians to realize that things are changing and look for new tools to help get things across to the younger generation. In an article by W. Lee Hisle, about the top issues of academic libraries one of things talked about is the fact that everything is being digitized and most students and faculty members try to locate things online instead of looking for books or other materials in the library itself. Academic librarians need to take into account the new generation of library users and make changes that will be most beneficial to them. Make things accessible online so that it is easy to locate for the new users, libraries are changing and academic librarians need to find new tools to help.
Hisle, W. Lee. "Top issues facing academic libraries: A report of the Focus on the Future Task Force." C&RL News, November 2002 vol. 63 no.10.
There are many things that academic libraries can do to keep up with the users who are not physically at the library. CMU has ways to email and chat with their reference librarians through the library website which is a really neat and easy way to get your questions answered. But it is also only useful when you know what you are looking for. Like Kimberly, I sometimes do not know exactly what I am looking for until I try to ask someone and talk it through with them. I think that there will always be people like this that need that face to face interaction and the reference librarian still needs to have those reference interview skills to help those users find what they are looking for.
Melissa,
Thank you for posting that link from the UCLA; I think that is an excellent resource. It is so important that academic libraries have a role in teaching new undergraduate students how to be discerning users of the Internet and to verify the information they find.
Call me old fashioned (and I'm not that old - still under 30!), but I agree with Sarah that blogging and IM should simply supplement and not replace the face-to-face experience of actual libraries and librarians. I love the unfamiliar technology (like blogs!) that I am learning in this class, and I can definetly see its place in the library world but the "librarian with a latte" struck a deeper chord with me than a virtual library in Second Life. Technology has its benefits and convienience, but don't forgot the power of actual human contact.
In order to help students discern between sources, librarians could provide handouts about primary and secondary sources and teach seminars. In person, the students can be directed to electronic resources to which the library subscribes. Academic librarians can keep up with the curriculum of courses in their area of specialty. This allows them to quickly help students locate the best resources for projects.
I think that the library should be apart of the undergraduate curriculum somehow. When I think of having to navigate the library and its search databases, it was overwhelming and I am sure that I could have done better. With some training, I could have navigated through the tons of information available and that help would have been valuable. The sooner students can become discerning consumers of information the more relevant libraries remain.
I have to agree that there is nothing like helping a student face to face. I work in an academic library and once a week I do virtual reference. Many times when students ask for help they are not really sure what they are looking for or, as Kimberly pointed out, they may ask one thing but really mean another. When you are face to face with a student there is more small talk so you can dig a little deeper and find out what they are really after. You can’t really do this as well online.
Also most academic libraries offer class orientations to demonstrate how to search the library’s catalog, use the databases, and show how to choose a good website. At my work most of the English, speech, and psychology professors schedule orientations for their classes. Unfortunately there are some professors who assign a research project but feel it is unnecessary to schedule an orientation with us. I always feel bad when they do this because some students will be too shy or too discouraged to ask us for help.
I would agree that using IM, email, and social networking sites are great tools to use for supplemental reference services, particularly for patrons who may not feel comfortable asking for assistance in person. One of the positive outcomes I could see from libraries implementing services such as these would be that once people develop a sense of comfort with using off-site reference services, they may eventually feel comfortable coming in and speaking face-to-face with a librarian. By reaching out to people who otherwise would have no contact with the library, we might be able to draw more people in.
"Librarian with a Latte" this is a brilliant idea! I live in Ann Arbor and often study at coffee shops in town. I hear undergrads discussing papers and research difficulties constantly. I have never witnessed a librarian in any of the coffee shops in A2 although the benefits of such a program are huge. Many undergrads experience "library anxiety" becoming overwhelmed with information overload, by approaching these students at a neutral site a librarian can offer assistance and help elevate this anxiety. This also gives the librarian the chance to reach those students who think the library has nothing to offer them. In response to the online/text/blog reference work I agree that it is a wonderful asset. (I have used UM's online reference with great results.) Although after completing Dr. Baker's Advanced Reference Strategies course last semester I realize the difficulty in properly communicating and interpreting the patron's reference question in an online environment. Reference Librarians use many visual cues to interpret their success in understanding their patrons’ needs, with online reference these cues are not available making the communication more difficult. There is also the risk of patrons viewing the reference service as a search engine, expecting immediate results. Because of this many online reference services have pre-prepared responses to reference requests including- "A librarian is logged on and will respond to your question quickly" or "This is a complicated question and many take sometime to investigate"- to ensure the online patron is aware they are being helped. Online reference also has the ability to “push” WebPages directly to the patron’s computer and “chat” with them as they explore the site, ensuring the information they are looking for is available. Online reference offers a unique opportunity to help our patrons, although caution should be taken before creating an online reference program. The Library considering a program should make sure that it is a resource their patrons want and would use. Doing a survey or a small pilot program before launching the “big project” should be considered.
Wow! The "Librarian with a Latte" idea is so cool. That is a perfect example of meeting patrons right where they are. College students are accustomed to meeting professors and grad student instructors in coffee shops around UM, so why not a librarian? Meeting in a neutral spot gets rid of the feeling of the guest/host relationship and puts folks on equal footing. I think that might get lots of people to ask for help and tap into resources that they otherwise would have been too intimidated to use.
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