Annotated Selected Bibliography of Full-Text Web-Based Articles Relating to Library Instruction

 

Theme Issues

 

 

Journal of Library Services for Distance Education. (Vol. 1 Issue 2, June 1998).

A peer-reviewed e-journal, International in scope, publishing refereed articles focusing on the issues and challenges of providing research/information services to students enrolled in formal post-secondary distance education. The following articles discuss library instruction:

• Don Beagle. "Asynchronous Delivery Support for Distance Learning: A Strategic Opportunity for Libraries." Discusses why libraries are in a prime position for implementing a shift from synchronous delivery support (real-time by satellite/cable) to asynchronous distance learning (web-based instruction) and provides ideas for paving the way.

• Tracey Burdick. "One State's Approach: The Florida Distance Learning Library Initiative." Provides the background, key components, and current status of one library school's distance learning program.

• Cesar Caballero & Henry T. Ingle. "Thousands Still Shoeless: Developing Library Services in Support of Distance Education: A Case Study." Outlines the history, goals, concepts, and resources used in implementing library services to support distance education, while offering advice and recommendations to other institutions interested in developing similar changes.

• Judith Clark & Ron Store. "Flexible Learning and the Library: The Challenge." Describes new services and resources offered by libraries in order to meet the increasing needs of both on and off-campus students.

• Nancy Schiller & Nancy Cunningham. "Delivering Course Materials to Distance Learners over the World Wide Web: Statistical Data Summary." Summarizes the data collected from a year-long library study, conducted at the University at Buffalo, on developing and implementing a web-based support service for distance learning.

 

 

 

Instruction in Science and Technology Libraries (Fall 1997)

This theme issue includes five articles of relevance to science and technology instruction librarians. The strength of this issue is its focus on practical steps and guidelines.

• Charles Huber's "Training the Trainers: Creating A Workshop on Teaching Chemical Information." offers practical tips on conducting a workshops using downloaded Web pages.

• James Walther and Nancy Speisser's article, "Developing and Delivering Medical Reference Source Instruction in a Special Library." includes a step-by-step guide for training search strategies as well as information strategy and assessment. This article is nicely detailed and includes a hyperlinked bibliography of Internet health care sites.

• Terri Pedersen Summey describes the evolution of a collaboration between the biology division and the librarian in charge of Emporia State University's Online Search Service for training in both DIALOG and FirstSearc in her article, "Biological Research and the Library: A Collaboration in Online Research and Library Instruction."

• Janet Martorana and Rosemary Meszaros' article, "Searching Science from the Office: Science and Engineering Workshops." describes a series of workshops taught to science and engineering students on the electronic databases available through their OPAC and on the Web at the University of California, Santa Barbara. This article offers good detail on the planning and implementation of these workshops.

• Angie Locknar, Grace Baysinger and Rosemary L. Meszaros have compiled "Library Instruction Ideas for Science and Technology: A Baker's Dozen." a useful list of tips and strategies for instruction that are useful for any instruction librarian.

 

Individual Articles

 

 

Distance Education

• Lee, Angela, "Delivering Library Services at a Distance: A Case Study at the University of Washington", The Journal of Library Services for Distance Education, vol. 2 no. 1, July 1999.

  Any library starting a distance learning program from ground zero can learn from the experiences of the University of Washington.

• Albright, Michael J." Internet Resources: Distance Education, Media Centers and the Internet," MC Journal: The Journal of Academic Media Librarianship vol. 4 no. 1, Summer 1996.

  Defines and describes basic methods of distance learning via the internet. Author provides many links to web resources on distance education and examples of courses delivered via the web.

 

 

Evaluation and Assessment

• Kirk, Thomas G. Jr.; Nancy Taylor and Sara Penhale. "A Method of Measuring the Reach of a Bibliographic Instruction Program," Choosing Our Futures, ACRL 1997 Annual Conference Papers.

  As a course-related bibliographic instruction program matures, librarians need to find methods of measuring its effectiveness in reaching all students. A simple method that uses existing data can provide a description of the program's reach and suggest strategies for improving the program. Learn how to carry out this research and to use its results.

• Pausch, Lois M. and Mary Pagliero Popp. "Assessment of Information Literacy Programs: Lessons from the Higher Education Assessment Movement," Choosing Our Futures, 1997 ACRL Annual Conference Papers.

  Accountability, outcomes measurement, assessment! These words ring loudly in higher education circles, legislatures, and accrediting organizations. What do the values, research, and methods of higher education assessment offer to instruction librarians as we prepare to evaluate the effectiveness of our information literacy programs?

• Seiden, Peggy; Kris Szymborski, and Barbara Norelli. "Undergraduate Students and the Digital Library: Information Seeking Behavior in an Heterogeneous Environment," Choosing Our Futures, ACRL 1997 Annual Conference Papers.

  Research on undergraduate user behavior particularly in the emerging digital library environment has been lacking. This paper presents the results of a preliminary study of information seeking among sixty undergraduates at Skidmore College. The study was designed to 1) assess students' information seeking behavior in general; 2) elicit information about the search process; and 3) discern how students had acquired their knowledge of online searching and their level of expertise with online searching, computer applications and libraries.

 

 

Recommended Sources

• Grassian, Esther & Susan E. Clark. "Internet Resources: Information Literacy Sites," College and Research Libraries News, vol. 60 no. 2, February 1999.

  Excellent overview of representative Internet resources that provide background, guidelines, programs, tutorials, and information on organizations and publications related to information literacy.

• Sheets, Janet, "LIRT's Top Twenty for 1998," LIRT News, vol. 21 no. 4, June 1999.

  Lists the top twenty articles from 1998 on library instruction and information literacy as chosen by members of LIRT's Continuing Education Committee.

 

 

Specialized Instruction (for a particular subject area or audience)

• Puacz, Jeanne Holba and Chris Bradfield, "Surf's Up for Seniors! Introducing Older Patrons to the Web," Computers in Libraries, vol. 20 no. 8, September 2000.

  A special workshop for senior citizens was developed at the Vigo County Public Library in Terre Haute, Indiana to help them feel more comfortable and confident about surfing the Web. Reasons for creating this workshop, the logistics in organizing it, the structure of the lessons, and improvements being made to the class are presented.

• Patterson, Mimi; Edwards, Jana, "Should All Library Schools Offer Courses in Library Instruction?" LIRT News, vol. 21 no. 4, June 1999.

  Presents the commentary of two librarians concerning the lack of training in library instruction methods in library schools across the country.

• Smith, Meredith, "Instructional Challenges Faced by Multitype Library Systems," LIRT News, vol .22 no. 1, September 1999.

  Discusses certain instructional challenges that library consortiums may face when dealing with different types of libraries, different levels of techno-savvy librarians, and varying levels of computer equipment used within the member libraries. The Lincoln Trail Libraries System of Illinois is presented as an example of a multitype library system, who offers suggestions on how to include all levels of learners and all types of libraries.

• Krissoff, Alan; Konrad, Lee, "Computer Training for Staff and Patrons: A Comprehensive Academic Model," Computers in Libraries, vol. 18 no. 1, January 1998.

  Describes an experimental staff and patron computer training program at the College Library of the University of Wisconsin Madison including its major considerations and components. Discusses such issues as needs assessment, program development, and core competencies of the program.

• Lindell, Ann, "Providing Library Instruction for Students of Studio Art and Design: A Branch Library Perspective," LIRT News, vol. 20 no. 3, March 1998.

  Although the University of Florida Libraries have a maintained system of trying to reach all incoming freshmen with formal library instruction, their Architecture and Fine Arts Library has designed further methods to meet their students' specific needs. Librarians at this branch library have their own required information component incorporated into two specific classes and plan their sessions around image retrieval, rather than mere text-based resources. This article takes a look at the different methods the Architecture and Fine Arts Library uses to educate their student population.

 

Teaching Methodology

• Donnelly, Kimberley, "Reflections on What Happens When Librarians Become Teachers," Computers in Libraries, vol. 20 no. 3, March 2000.

  Librarians at York College of Pennsylvania discuss the trials and tribulations of teaching Information Literacy 101, a two-credit core-curriculum course. Comments are made on the rewards of teaching a semester course, like gaining new insights into today's student researcher and forming close relationships with students, and the challenges, like teaching without much or any pedagogical training and juggling the time-consuming duties associated with teaching with other library responsibilities.

• Anonymous, "Teaching Tips," LIRT News, vol. 22 no. 1, September 1999.

  Provides strategies and tips for the preparation and instruction of a library information session in an electronic classroom.

• Doherty, John J. & Mary Anne Hansen, Kathryn K. Kaya. "Teaching Information Skills in the Information Age: the Need for Critical Thinking," Library Philosophy and Practice, vol. 1, no. 2, Spring 1999.

  Authors emphasize the need to teach students the skills of analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information. Course-integrated instruction, as well as the development of an Information Literacy Seminar at Montana State University are discussed.

• Taylor, Terry and Tony Stamatopolos, "First-Year Learning Communities: Redefining the Educational Roles of Academic Librarians," Racing Toward Tomorrow, 1999 ACRL Annual Conference Papers.

  Taylor and Stamatopolos stress the importance of integrating information literacy into the university curriculum and forming collaborative learning communities that include librarians, faculty, staff, and students across interdisciplinary themes. Two First-Year programs (one at DePaul University; the other at Indiana University Perdue University Indianapolis) provide examples of successful attempts at achieving both objectives.

• Eskola, Eeva-Liisa. "University Students' information seeking Behaviour in a Changing Learning Environment: How Are Students' Information Needs, Seeking and Use Affected by New Teaching Methods?" Information Research, vol. 4 no. 2, October 1998.

  Effect of student-centered learning methods on information seeking behavior is the topic of an ongoing research project. The research methods, literature review, data collection and data analysis plan of this study is described in detail.

• Estrin, Jonathan W. "From Bibliographic Instruction to Instruction Management: A Process-Oriented Approach for Reengineering Library Instruction Programs," Katherine Sharp Review, no. 6, Winter 1998.

  Instruction is an important library function and it must be provided the resources necessary to pursue proactive outreach to academic departments. Curricular integration is currently the most efficient and effective method of enhancing the outcome of library instruction, but library organizations must also integrate their instructional activities into internal operating processes in order to achieve success.

• Furlong, Katherine; Roberts, Franklin D., "If You Teach It, Will They Learn? Information Literacy and Reference Services in a College Library," Computers in Libraries, vol. 18 no. 5, May 1998.

  The University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) and the Farmington Public Library joined forces in campaigning for increased technology in the Library, which meant additional instruction demands on UMF librarians, for both students and the community at large. Despite the purchase of 50 new PCs and the implementation of a state-of-the-art electronic classroom, the librarians at UMF noticed that the best parts of their old instruction program, including tours and orientation to essential reference books, were disappearing. UMF librarians discuss the changes made to the new instruction program as well as lessons learned from making major overhauls within the library too quickly.

• Raine, Kristina Nelson. "Radical Writing: A Proposal for Bibliographic Instruction at Iowa State University," Katherine Sharp Review, no. 7 Summer 1998.

  Presents one school's proposal to combine the efforts of teaching faculty and librarians in order to instruct the greatest number of incoming freshmen on research methods and skills, which will inevitably meet the final goals of both parties.

• McDermott, Irene E., "Solitaire Confinement: The Impact of the Physical Environment on Computer Training," Computers in Libraries, vol. 18 no. 1, January 1998.

  Using an example of learners playing electronic solitaire while in a library instruction session, McDermott stresses the importance of a comfortable and well-structured physical environment to keep users' attention on the class at hand. In this article, McDermott provides examples of poor computer classroom design, as well as remedies to such problems. She also addresses reasons why students may lose interest in their library skills session.

• Rise L. Smith. "Philosophical Shift: Teach the Faculty to Teach Information Literacy," Choosing Our Futures, ACRL 1997 Annual Conference Papers.

  Integrating information literacy throughout the curriculum is not possible as long as librarians insist on doing the instruction themselves. We must shift our focus from instructing students to instructing faculty in ways to incorporate information literacy activities in their courses.

• Shapiro, Jeremy J. and Hughes, Shelley K., "Information Literacy as Liberal Art," Educom Review, March/April 1996.

  This article presents a thoughtful discussion of the nature of modern information. The authors argue for conceiving of information literacy broadly to include "critical reflection on the nature of information itself, its technical infrastructure, and its social, cultural and even philosophical context and impact." The article includes a brief description of a prototype curriculum for teaching this type of information literacy. This is an excellent thought piece that can give us perspective on the deeper meanings of information literacy.

• Jones, Debra, Critical Thinking in an Online World (1996)

  This article is a part of the conference Untangling the Web that took place on April 26, 1996 at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Jones' piece presents a credo for teaching critical thinking skills using the model of the expert and the apprentice. This is a nice twist on a familiar theme, and Jones does an excellent job of making her case. Her article ends with a discussion of the common features of critical thinking and briefly describes the development of a self-paced course for practicing critical thinking skills.

 

Technology in Instruction

• Neumeister, Sue, "Technology in Action: Getting the Most from your Electronic Classroom," MC Journal: The Journal of Academic Media Librarianship, vol. 6 no. 2, Fall 1999.

  An ALA conference report from the Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) at the June 1999 annual meeting in New Orleans, LA that describes factors of room design, furniture, placement of workstations, networking, and equipment used to best implement an effective learning environment for library instruction. Michael Miller, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, presents the above components, as he provides several links to examples of various classroom designs, while Gale Burrow, of Claremont College, discusses instructional techniques that can be used in an electronic classroom.

• Engeldinger, Eugene A. "Technology Infrastructure and Information Literacy," Library Philosophy and Practice, Vol. 1, no. 1, Fall 1998.

  Details how a campus can develop and maintain the information/instruction technology that will support a curriculum in which information literacy is a key educational outcome.

• Hinchliffe, Lisa Janicke. "Resources for Designing Electronic Classrooms," MC Journal: The Journal of Academic Media Librarianship, vol. 6 no. 1, Spring 1998.

  As library instruction programs adapt to meet the demand, a need arises to create a space in the library specifically designed for instructional purposes and hands-on learning. Author provides a detailed annotated bibliography of articles on designing electronic/smart classrooms for computer based instruction.

• Harvey, Kay E. and Nancy H. Dewald. "Collaborating with Faculty in Preparing Students for the Asynchronous Classroom," Choosing Our Futures, ACRL 1997 Annual Conference Papers.

  Librarians can play a leadership role by partnering with faculty and technical support personnel to prepare students for the new educational paradigms of active and collaborative learning in an asynchronous environment. Penn State's Project Vision is used as a model. Learn how to make the most of the new electronic classrooms.

 

Web-Based Instruction

• Bridges, Karl, "Developing Web Based Instruction using Authorware," LIRT News, vol. 22 no. 2, December 1999.

Discusses the possibilities of utilizing Macromedia Authorware to create web based instruction, using the University of Vermont's (Burlington) electronic tutorial of their online catalog as an example. Includes other unique aspects of Authorware's capabilities.

• Burns, Elizabeth, "The Classroom vs. the Web: Comparing Two Ways to Teach Web-based Resources," Racing Toward Tomorrow, 1999 ACRL Annual Conference Papers.

  The author presents background on a research-in-progress study that compares web-based instruction to classroom instruction. The logistics of the different teaching environments are discussed for a one-credit hour bibliographic instruction course where the librarian in charge is continuously improving the course based on what she has learned in past semesters.

• Hubble, Ann and Deborah A. Murphy, "The UCSC NetTrail: Web-based Instruction for Online Literacy," Racing Toward Tomorrow, 1999 ACRL Annual Conference Papers.

  In order to solve problems surrounding the integration of a library component to the University of California, Santa Cruz' curriculum, librarians began working on the first campus-wide online literacy course in 1997. The course was named NetTrail and provided basic training for computer and information literacy across campus. Logistics, usage, and evaluation of the course are discussed.

• Orians, Colin, Ph.D.; Sabol, Laurie, "Using the Web to Teach Library Research Skills in Introductory Biology: A Collaboration Between Faculty and Librarians," Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, Summer 1999.

  After a disappointing first-year attempt to teach biology students library research skills, librarians and biology faculty at Tufts University worked together to create a web-based tutorial. Provides goals and challenges for the library instruction program, content of the web-based tutorial, evaluation of the website and its effectiveness on student learning, and plans for the future.

• Murphy, Deborah A., "Developing and Maintaining Instructional Web Sites: The Library Starter Kit," Racing Toward Tomorrow, 1999 ACRL Annual Conference Papers.

  The Library Starter Kit, an instructional web page that includes a virtual library tour, guides to starting the research process, web-based subject guides, a directory of available online library workshops, and an online literacy course called NetTrail, was created at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Murphy presents how the site has grown, the different ways in which it is useful, feedback and statistics on usability, and how it might continue to grow.

• Roubal, Michelle Y., "On the Web for Ready Reference," LIRT News, vol. 21 no. 3, March 1999.

  What started out as a training program for Chicago-area librarians, "On the Web for Ready Reference", an internet workshop aimed at familiarizing users to the Chicago Public Library website, progressed into a largely-attended session at the Illinois Library Association's (ILA) 1998 Annual Conference. The librarians involved in this project talk about their organization and planning of the class as it switched from librarian training, to patron instruction, to the formal ILA program.

• Cameron, Lynn. "Go for the Gold: A Web-based Instruction Program," Choosing our Futures, ACRL 1997 Conference Papers.

  Go for the Gold is a Web-based instruction program developed at James Madison University to teach beginning students how to find and evaluate information. The 17 instructional modules that comprise the program are based on objectives that are part of a new competency-based general education curriculum. Go for the Gold replaces a self-paced library skills workbook that had been used by freshmen for over a decade.

• Prestamo, Anne M., "Development of Web-Based Tutorials for Online Databases," Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, Winter 1998.

  The Edmon Low Library of Oklahoma State University developed a web-based tutorial for ProQuest Direct to allow for a universal form of instruction available to students, staff, and faculty both on and off campus. Prestamo explains the process of developing such a tutorial, which includes the library's goals, objectives, implementation, and evaluation of the final product.

• Zarnosky, Maggie, "The "Net" Advantage: Library Instruction Using the World Wide Web," LIRT News, vol. 19 no. 2, December 1996.

  Describes the advantages for instructional librarians to provide their students with course-specific webpages designed specifically for their library session. Among some of these advantages is to reinforce what has been taught in the 30-50 minute instructional session, provide descriptions to useful reference sources, and create direct links to pertinent electronic databases and the library's online catalog.

 

 

Evaluating Internet Resources

• Cottrell, Janet R., "Teaching Students to Evaluate Web Sources More Critically," College & Research Libraries News, vol. 62 no. 2, February 2001.

  Based on the ever-present need for students to learn how to evaluate the Web effectively, along with teaching faculty's false assumptions of their students' research skills, librarians at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio developed a four-day faculty workshop to address technological challenges in the classroom. Faculty responses during certain workshop activities proved to the librarians that more outreach must be done in order for faculty members to promote information literacy to their students.

• Harris, Robert, Evaluating Internet Research Sources (1997)

  Harris presents a discussion of the CARS checklist. CARS stands for Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness and Support, and was developed for ease of learning and use. Each component of CARS is discussed with clarity and detail. This is a clever and useful article.

• Xiao, Daniel & Pixey Anne Mosley, Alan Cornish. "Library Services through the World Wide Web," The Public-Access Computer Systems Review, vol. 8, no. 4, 1997.

  Provides the example of one library's modifications in traditional library service to incorporate the overall use of the World Wide Web.

• Tillman, Hope, Evaluating Quality on the Net (1997)

  Hope Tillman's article is an often-quoted piece which discusses in detail the generic criteria for evaluating resources and adapting these criteria for the Internet. One of the strengths of this piece is Tillman's evaluation of the subject directories that are appearing on search engine sites. Her piece ends with a valuable section of advice for publishers on the Web.

• Internet Source Validation Project (1996)

  This project was developed at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and includes a set of guidelines for students and teachers who use the Internet for research. Particularly interesting are the use of the concepts of concrete validity and context validity, as well as the Rating Guide for evaluating Web pages. Test exercises are included.

• Brandt, Scott D., Evaluating Information on the Internet (1996)

  This short article provides a basic overview of the special problems of the Internet and techniques for evaluating Internet sites. Brandt makes a good case for the adaptation of traditional evaluation techniques to the Internet. This article is a bit superficial, in that Brandt says nothing about the basic level of evaluating on Magellan and fails to note that Yahoo! has no evaluation criteria at all, stating only that "you may still need to apply evaluation techniques to ranked or rated items found in databases such as Yahoo! or Magellan."

• Ciolek, T. Matthew, Six Quests for The Electronic Grail (1996)

  This extensive, multi-part paper discusses some of the major attempts to overcome the shortcomings of the Web. These include six different avenues of "WWW Repair," ranging from programming approaches to evaluative approaches. Ciolek's article presents a nice history of efforts to deal with the chaos of the Internet in a scholarly, well-informed tone.

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Created April 1998; Last Revised January 2003

Written by Laura Cohen, University at Albany

Revised and expanded by Kimberly S. Davies, College at Geneseo

Updated by Angela Weiler, Morrisville State College Library

http://myhome.sunyocc.edu/~weilera/lic/fulltext.html

Comments to (davies@geneseo.edu) or weileram@morrisville.edu