It's Academic

It has been 175 years since the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) established Villanova University. The major library for the University, Falvey Memorial Library, is a complex of three interconnected structures. Thought of as a single entity, the building hosts a variety of offices, classrooms and conference spaces designed to support various campus activities and academic services; some not typically affiliated with the traditional function of a library. This however has increasingly become the new norm for a lot of libraries, particularly on university campuses where space is at a premium. Learning support centers, IT and communication-related areas, innovation and makerspaces, even a virtual reality laboratory have been incorporated into the main university library at Villanova.

In the process, every nook and cranny has been evaluated for maximum utilization. Nevertheless, for multiple reasons and for many years, one space existed in a kind of bubble. Its location was considered remote and its purpose was obscure. Off the beaten path and inaccessible to many, “The Augustinian Room” was the home of the Augustinian Historical Institute (AHI) at Villanova University. Its situation recalls something from the musical “The Music Man.” In that show, the library building belongs to the town, but the books belong to the head-strong librarian. In the case of the AHI, the room is in the library and is the property of the University, but its contents are owned by the OSA.

Room 301 Falvey Hall, formerly the “The Augustinian Room,” is currently being used as student
study space and an occasional conference room. Photo taken by Justin D’Agnese, 25 August 17.

A few years ago, several Augustinian provinces in North America corporately agreed the books and other materials in the AHI collection be held collectively, to maintain ownership by the OSA. The collection would merely be housed by Villanova University in its library. Even though the AHI had a storied past, producing scholarship and even sponsoring archaeological digs, in recent years it had basically become a non-circulating research collection focused on the OSA. The Augustinian presence is still very strong at Villanova, as seen by the development of another institute for the study of the life and writings of St. Augustine, and other initiatives associated with the heritage of the OSA by the Office for Mission and Ministry at the University. A long-standing body of materials collected to gather scholarly resources relevant to the study of the OSA at one of the Augustinians’ flagship insititutions, what haunted the AHI was that it was too little known, including by folks at Villanova, and too little used by the scholarly community in general.

The OSA founded the University in the mid-19th century. The seminal AHI collection was originally in Riverdale, N.Y. and brought to Villanova in the early 1970s. It was in the library but maintained a separate identity until 2016. Integration began when items were identified in the Library’s catalog as: “On deposit from the Order of Saint Augustine as part of the Augustinian Historical Institute.” However, even this potential online visibility did not show it as anything more than more holdings. The greater solution is still getting worked out, through the active collaboration of the subject librarian who curates the collection, and the heads of special collections, access services, and cataloging. Cross-departmental cooperation and internal communication are key to integrating a distinctive collection, and this is an excellent example of the kind of protected but hidden special collection that are good for a library’s identity, but which vex librarians.

Recently, I was offered the privilege of an in-person interview with Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia, for the position of Research and Instructional Librarian. Unfortunately, circumstances did not allow for me to make the five-and-a-half hour drive across Pennsylvania, and I had to decline the opportunity. Part of my interview would have included a presentation on how I would completely renovate the current information literacy instructional process at the college. With my limited background in academic libraries, this really was a challenge. With some research, however, I secured some guidance on how I would have went through with the information literacy critique and renovation had I done the presentation.

An academic library is not an island and does not operate solely without the connections and support between other departments and campus units. Factors such as the library’s budget, the educational needs of the academic community, and the resources currently available to instruct must be taken into consideration. For this reason, an academic library should have in place a written mission statement for its instructional program. This statement of purpose should consider the educational mission of the institute and the needs which are becoming increasingly more intricate as diversity and inclusion surge within higher education. (I can testify for that having been the secretary for the Center of International Education at my local community college for two years. I regularly interacted with students from all over the globe and often had to overcome language barriers, sometimes with the help of a translation app on my smart phone!) Not to be forgotten are those non-traditional students who take courses online. How does the library’s mission statement reflect those students’ needs? Will the library’s instructional literacy’s impact extend beyond its institute and even that of the college’s, influencing a student’s self-development, career paths, and lifelong learning?

The second step of evaluation is to identify the content of instruction. Content will vary among academic institutions, but it is critical that the objectives of the learning outcomes are closely aligned with the Association of College & Research Libraries’ Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. These standards assist academic librarians with general campus discussion in identifying information literacy, and coupled with the Association of College & Research Libraries’ Objectives for Information Literacy Instruction, provide guidance in establishing measurable outcomes for any given information literacy program.

Identifying the modes of instruction is the next step. Here is where I see the use of surveys as a very beneficial tool in gauging just how and where students receive their information literacy instruction, and the impact, if any, it makes on their education and coursework. Additionally, surveys designed for faculty, staff, and department administration can ascertain their needs as well. The feedback from these surveys can be a driving force in directing information literacy instruction to better benefit all involved. Perhaps students might not understand the importance of a reference interview when conducting research for a project and do not know where to begin. Could embedded librarians make a huge difference in online courses? How do we reach out to distance learning students to create an atmosphere of inclusion so that they feel they belong to the academic family? Students will be conducting research at all facets of their education, whether it be as an undergraduate, an intern, or working on their capstones, so it is crucial that librarians are implementing effective instructional programs to reflect the total campus learning environment every step of the way. Even reaching out to incoming freshmen at orientation is desirable; making our presence known from the very beginning that we are here to help sets the wheels in motion that our library should be a dedicated and cherished cornerstone in our students’ campus experience. Virtual tours of the library facilities and meet-the-staff videos can reel in distance learning students to increase the likelihood that they will use the library remotely.

Evaluation of the instruction programs should be an on-going process. Regular meetings with faculty, staff, and department administration can determine if the specified outcomes are being implemented and if any needed changes in direction is necessary. There needs to be ongoing support for continuing education, training, and development. New librarians, such as myself, coming on board with no prior information literacy instructional experience, can develop and nurture these skills through structured training sessions. Continual training for those librarians who are already conducting information literary instruction will ensure that their qualifications are constantly being challenged and sharpened. Sensitivity and responsiveness to changing technologies and the overall chemistry of the campus environment is essential. What worked even three years ago may not work now. Make sure your library has the essential tools needed to conduct effective instruction, budget withstanding.

I wonder if I would have been offered the position at Bethany College, and if so, how I would have gone about redesigning and evaluating their current information literacy instructional programs. I certainly would have been up for the challenge. How does your library evaluate your information literacy instruction? What is your greatest obstacle when doing so? Do you feel as though you have that open communication with other campus departments and faculty? For academic librarians, information literacy instruction is a very crucial facet of this profession, one that requires reaching out to the students to instill lifelong appreciation for acquiring what is accurate and conducive to learning and the ability to retain and utilize reliable resources for a more productive lifestyle.

Thanks to http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/guidelinesinstruction for the help!