CRD Conference Corner Volume 4

We are only one week away from the PaLA annual conference, and in this edition of the Conference Corner we will take a look at sessions that focus on source usage, international student retention, and learning commons – oh my!

Title: Information Overload!: Assessing Source Usage in Students’ Reference Lists.

Presenters: Kristin E. C. Green, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Penn State Scranton
James Hart, Lecturer in Communication Arts and Sciences, Penn State Scranton

Abstract: Instruction librarians spend significant amounts of time planning lessons by collaborating with the course instructor and aligning information literacy outcomes with the instructor’s learning outcomes. Often times for general education courses, information literacy sessions include introducing that ideal database or two for specific research assignments. But once that instructional time is over, do students apply what they learned or do they revert to unsavory research habits developed over the course of their academic lifetimes? This session will initiate conversation around this question by using data generated from analyzing students’ reference lists. The course in which this overarching assessment was conducted, Effective Speech, is a general education course that all undergraduate students are required to take at Penn State. The instructor assigns three speeches during the course of the semester that require background research. All sections of this course have a oneshot information literacy session in which two databases are introduced as ideal resources for garnering the background information needed for the students’ speech topics. The data was gathered in the Spring 2018 semester from three different class sections. As co-presenters, the librarian and instructor will discuss their teaching collaboration, explain their analytic process, and share preliminary findings.

Time: Tuesday, October 16th 9:00am-10:00am

Title: Libraries as Partners in International Student Retention: How Programming and Outreach Impact Sense of Belonging

Presenters: Emily Mross, Business Librarian, Penn State Harrisburg
Joi Jackson, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Penn State Harrisburg

Abstract: In 2017, Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities enrolled 51,129 international students, ranking sixth in the nation for total international enrollment, and academic libraries now serve a growing population of international students. In addition to meeting the educational and research needs of international students, college and university libraries should also meet their social needs. Through outreach that fosters relationships between international and domestic students, the campus library can serve as an academic and social hub that contributes to a sense of belonging that is vital to international student retention. Attendees will learn why belonging is critical for the perseverance of international students and will discuss strategies for nurturing belonging in their libraries and on their campuses. Presenters will detail successful programming and outreach initiatives from their campus, and how these events improve relationships between international and domestic students through facilitated interaction. Participants will discuss campus contexts, current programs, and ideas for future programming.

Time: Tuesday, October 16th 11:00am-12:00pm

Title: The Library is Open: Pragmatics and Possibilities for a Commons Oriented Future

Presenter: Robin DeRosa, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies; Director of Interdisciplinary Studies, Plymouth State University (MA)

Abstract: In this keynote presentation, Robin DeRosa will explore libraries as architectures of hope that gesture toward a commons. In an era where privatizing forces threaten to wall off and commodify knowledge, Robin will offer a vision of libraries as an intrinsic part of a public infrastructure for learning and research. By invoking both the work that happens inside and around libraries and the communities that libraries engender, Robin will frame a conceptual and aspirational theory of libraries and posit concrete practices that can help our society understand libraries as integral stewards of the public good.

Time: This is the the keynote presentation at the College & Research Division Luncheon on Tuesday, October 16th