It's Academic

The one-shot library instruction session is a bane of our collective existence in academic libraries. The academic literature (and conference programs) are replete with discussion of this issue. As a subject liaison, my information literacy instruction has been conducted almost exclusively in one-shot class sessions. The sessions (and the subject guides I often create specifically for the classes) are the main contact I have with students, so they’ve been an important part of my work (and identity!) as a subject specialist.

Over recent semesters, however, I’ve noticed that the effectiveness of the sessions has been diminishing. This conclusion is based on a lack of engagement from the classes I visit and the low number of follow-up consultations that I receive after the classes. The number of sessions I’ve done in a semester has ranged from 7-10, so I didn’t feel I was overworked; the one-shot just wasn’t working well. After talking with my supervisor about the issue, she indicated that she’d be supportive of me trying something different. With this support, I decided not to do one-shots for the fall semester.

In lieu of the instruction session, I decided to add learning modules and videos to my existing class LibGuides which would explain how to use our discovery layer, databases, ILL, etc. I would also put together brief lesson plans for instructors to introduce library resources if they chose to do so. In communicating the change to professors, I indicated it was at times jarring having me come into class and felt the professors were better positioned to help students. I also emphasized that I would still be available to help students with their research individually. After putting all this together, I worried a bit about the consequences. Would professors be disappointed? Would this greatly disrupt their class preparation? Would they be less likely to work with me in the future?

My initial fears were unfounded; I sensed some disappointment in professors’ email responses, but they understood my rationale for making the change and agreed to facilitate the library introduction themselves. The consequences are still unknown, however. I haven’t yet done any research consultations with students from the classes where this change was instituted, so I don’t know how it’s affected student research. I’m going to follow up with instructors after the semester to get their assessment of this change. If instructors feel strongly enough that it’s a bad change, I may reconsider my decision.

I hope my experience will be helpful for others considering this change. Good luck with the remainder of your fall!

Presented by 

Katie Quirin Manwiller

Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 2:00 pm

Registration Link

Despite continued efforts to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in academic libraries, our field often limits disability inclusion to the basic accessibility standards in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These standards are the bare minimum required by law and as such do not provide comprehensive inclusion for our students or library workers. This webinar will explain ADA compliance in academic libraries, the limitations of equating it with full accessibility, and the need to move beyond this frame of thinking to provide actual disability inclusion. It will end with practical tips to incorporate disability throughout your library’s EDI work.

Katie Quirin Manwiller is the Education Librarian and Assistant Professor at West Chester University. She is chronically ill and dynamically disabled. Katie’s scholarship focuses on improving disability inclusion in libraries through incorporating disability into diversity, equity, and inclusion work, addressing disability misconceptions, and creating accessible work environments. She is currently pursuing a second master’s degree focused on strategic disability inclusion in higher education.

We will mute participants on entry into the Zoom room. Session will be recorded and available on YouTube after the session. We will enable Zoom’s Live Transcription feature during the session.

If you would like to present with C&CS, please contact the C&CS team.

This project is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, Governor.

Support is also provided by the College and Research Division of the Pennsylvania Library Association.

If you’re attending PaLA next week, there will be a special poster session dedicated to academic librarians. This session will be on Tuesday from 1-2 PM, and it will feature the following posters:

**blinking lights** “WE’RE OVER HERE!” **blinking lights** Outreach to Post-Pandemic College Students  

Sheli Pratt-McHugh, Research & Instruction Librarian for Technology & Outreach, University of Scranton

Since fully reopening and welcoming students back to campus post-covid, our outreach efforts had to be reexamined. We have added two new campus wide digital platform, embraced video content like reels, and increased social media content overall. Come hear what has and hasn’t worked to capture the attention of Gen-Z. 

Collaborating with a Campus Writing Committee to Create an Information Literacy Wheel  

Beth M. Transue, Information Literacy Librarian, Messiah University

The Writing Across the Curriculum Committee created an Essay Wheel to help students visualize the writing process. Librarians then collaborated with the Committee to map information literacy concepts onto the Essay Wheel and create a Research Strategies Wheel to illustrate the intersection of information literacy and the writing process.  

Does Reading Actually Make a Difference? Reading Impacts on “Searching as Strategic Exploration”

Brendan Johnson, Outreach and Engagement Librarian, Penn State Abington
Emily Reed, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Penn State Harrisburg

This poster will share the results of a study that examined incoming first-year college students’ reading preferences and their information literacy, highlighting the finding that students’ practice of wide reading and possession of books in the home has a positive correlation with the “Searching as Strategic Exploration” information literacy frame.

From Citations to Connections: Using Citation Management Software for Collaboration

Sara Kern, Engineering Librarian, Penn State

This poster will share how Zotero groups can be used to foster research collaboration. This includes exploring opportunities to teach Zotero or other reference management software and considering ways participants might use Zotero for research in their own library, from student group projects to community genealogy resources, and beyond! 

From Stacks to Spaces: How the PSU Engineering Library is Going Bookless 

Katelin Woods, Information Resources and Services Support Specialist, Pennsylvania State University Libraries
Paul McMonigle, Engineering Instruction Librarian, Pennsylvania State University Libraries
Denise Wetzel, Science & Engineering Librarian, Pennsylvania State University Libraries

Penn State is rising to meet changing user needs by transitioning its University Park Engineering Library from a traditional location with over 30,000 holdings into a space focused on collaboration and digital resources. Join Penn State Engineering Library staff to discuss the workflows that go into creating a bookless library.  

I Did That: Student Scholarship in Academic Libraries 

Kayla Van Osten, Research & Instruction Librarian, Widener University
Kristina Dorsett, Research & Instruction Librarian, Widener University
Jill Borin, Head of Archives & Distinctive Collections, Widener University

Reflecting on the work from the previous academic year, we aim to highlight and celebrate student scholarship in the physical space and digital collections. This will include QR codes to student work from the Archives Digital Collections that feature topics of interest. 

Reflections on Moving Student Employee Training to a Virtual and Asynchronous Model

Monica Gingerich, Student Engagement Coordinator, Pennsylvania State University Libraries

A positive outcome of the pandemic has been the introduction of more flexible modes of delivery for information, including training materials for newly hired student employees. This poster will explore the outcomes of moving the majority of a student employee training model to a virtual and asynchronous setting.  

Rising to the Challenge of Equitable Student Success

Rebecca Miller Waltz, Associate Dean for Learning and Engagement, Penn State University Libraries

National higher education data shows that student groups from different backgrounds do not experience proportionate success and graduation rates. What can academic libraries do to change this? This poster explores how Penn State University Libraries uses high-impact practices to help close equity gaps and enhance equitable student success. 

Student and Faculty Attitudes Toward eBook Piracy 

Rob Sieczkiewicz, Director, Blough-Weis Library, Susquehanna University
Haley Dittbrenner, OER Intern, Blough-Weis Library, Susquehanna University

The high cost of textbooks encourages many students to seek alternative means of access, including pirate sites (AKA, shadow libraries). To better understand students’ behavior as well as campus attitudes toward ebook piracy, we surveyed Susquehanna University faculty and students. Our findings will shape our library’s Open Educational Resources (OER) efforts. 

Too Difficult to Catalog: Identifying Solutions to Reduce Backlogs and Expose Hidden Collections

Marleen Cloutier, Cataloging and Metadata Librarian, Weinberg Memorial Library, University of Scranton

Backlogs happen. Catalogers are often confronted with original materials that are complicated to catalog. This poster session will offer some insight as to why and how cataloging gets set aside and considers some possible solutions to help expose our hidden collections and reduce backlogs.

We hope to see you there!