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Slide 1: 5 Strategies for the Underused Jason Cimock Grand Valley State University May 11, 2009
Slide 2: OCLC Numbers ► College students¹ 91% have used a search engine 33% have used an online database 96% agree Google provides worthwhile information  84% agree library web sites provide worthwhile information    ¹College Students’ Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources, OCLC, 2006.
Slide 3: Meet John ► He’s a college student ► He likes togas ► He has a diverse range of information needs
Slide 4: John’s Information Needs ► “What’s the blue book value on my 1995 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 2 door?”
Slide 5: John’s Information Needs ► “What’s the population of Ottawa County, MI?”
Slide 6: John’s Information Needs ► “What does antidisestablishment -arianism mean?”
Slide 7: John’s Information Needs ► “Where’s the party at on Friday?”
Slide 8: Know the Role ► We are not Google ► Our resources cannot meet all their information needs ► We are not in direct competition with other search engines
Slide 9: No Silver Bullet ► No single action will suffice ► Efforts must be comprehensive and address multiple areas
Slide 10: 5 Strategies
Slide 11: #1 – Acquire Easy Resources ► Students follow path of least resistance ► What’s the learning curve? ► Easy to learn, hard to master ► Utilize “competing” resources. Make them compatible.
Slide 12: Easy Example ► Google Scholar Initially known for poor precision Can now outperform many subscription-based databases²  Don’t fight it…use it!   Walters, William H. “Google Scholar Search Performance: Comparative Recall and Precision. Portal: Libraries and the Academy 9.1 (2009): 5-24. 2
Slide 13: Easy Example ► Google Scholar ► Google Books ► If opportunities are not available, create them  Widgets, mods, plugins, etc.
Slide 14: #2 - Educate ► Evaluate program ► Conduct Assessment ► Integrate information literacy into the curriculum ► Opportunities for instruction in multiple formats: for-credit courses, appointmentbased consultations, online tutorials, etc. existing information literacy
Slide 15: #2 - Educate ► Educational opportunities for faculty ► Target new faculty orientation, departmental meetings, professional development functions
Slide 16: #3 – New Communication and Presence ► Face-to-face, chat, texting, social networking (twitter, facebook), course management software ► Embed librarians into specific courses in Blackboard
Slide 17: #4 – Faculty Support ► Build relationships through programs and services  Institutional repositories, journal publication listings  Faculty author book talk program3 Hackman, Timothy. “Speaking of Books… Connecting with Faculty through a Campus Author Series.” Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship 10.1 (2009). 3
Slide 18: #5 – Campus-wide Collaboration ► Collaborate with other departments and organizations on campus  Team up with writing center to offer solution to citation help  Team up with first-year composition program4 Barratt, Caroline Cason, et al. “Collaboration is Key: Librarians and Composition Instructors Analyze Student Research and Writing.” portal: Libraries and the Academy 9.1 (2009): 37-56. 4
Slide 19: Recap ► Can’t meet all needs, won’t always be first choice; that’s okay ► 5 Strategies 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Acquire Easy Resources Educate New Communication and Presence Faculty Support Campus-wide Collaboration
Slide 20: The End