Towers - University of Idaho Newsletter - Vol. 17, Issue 4 (2014)

Towers Newsletter of the Library Associates of the University of Idaho Library Winter 2014

Volume 17, Issue 4

Inside this issue:

UI Library instruction and student retention

Library Instruction........................ 1

With student retention a major concern today — not just at the University of Idaho but in all education

of higher — the UI Library’s nine reference/instruction librarians are meeting the issue head on. Their partnership with other faculty instructors across campus to give students tools that allow them to persist and thrive in their education reaches to well over 50 percent of the total student population.

GIS Day..................................... 3 Briefly....................................... 3

Dean’s Corner.............................. 4

Ways to Give.............................. 4

Instruction in the UI Library Each semester, UI librarians collaborate with instructors to embed information literacy concepts and research skills in English 102, ISEM 101 (Integrated Seminar) and various upper division and graduate level courses.

In English 102 and ISEM 101 courses, librarians provide instruction sessions in search strategies, An undergraduate discovers print resources in the main stacks of the UI Library. Photo using library resources, and evaluating sources

by University Photographic Services. for a specific assignment. In upper division and graduate level courses, they offer instruction in using specialized resources in a particular discipline.

“Positive perceptions and confidence about using the library are huge factors in students continuing their studies here.”

875 Perimeter Dr., 2350 Moscow, ID 83844-2350 Phone: (208) 885-6534 Email: librdean@uidaho.edu

Diane Prorak, UI Librarian

Library instruction sessions for English 102 and ISEM 101 courses typically take place mid-semester after research papers have been assigned. Instruction for upper level courses is held earlier in the semester. Most sessions are offered in the library instruction room, but they can also be held in the instructor’s classroom or another campus location. There are also options for online instruction through e-conferencing software and other distance education tools.

Librarians often create web pages for students to use as reference guides during and after the instruction session. These electronic research guides, which include links to databases, videos, and worksheets, can be embedded in course management software sites, such as BBLearn. continued on page two

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“Student success and retention,” continued from page one

Feedback from student and instructors

Library instruction and retention

Librarians gather feedback from students and instructors before and after the sessions to assess the outcomes of library instruction. Pre-instruction surveys ask students what they want to learn in the upcoming library sessions. Post-instruction surveys ask students what they learned, what they would tell a friend about library research, and if they found sources as a result of their sessions.

The UI Library is also evaluating the success of its instruction program on a national level. During the 2013-14 academic year, the University of Idaho participated in Assessment in Action, a nation-wide assessment of library instruction sponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries.

As one of 75 institutional teams selected for the first cohort of the program, the UI team collaborated to assess the impact of library instruction on student success and retention in first-year students’ essays and bibliographies in English 102 and ISEM 101 courses.

The results are overwhelmingly positive. Ninety-nine percent of students receiving library instruction during the 2013-14 academic year said they had learned something helpful for information seeking during the sessions, and 96 percent said they found sources for their assignments. The graph below shows the 2013-14 survey results.

Librarian Prorak led the team, which included Rodney Frey, director of the UI General Education program; Cori Planagan, coordinator of the Student Orientation Office; and Diane KellyRiley, director of Composition.

Their findings confirmed a marked increase in student confidence (over 80 percent) about using the library for their research after library instruction.

“There is no doubt that library instruction does significantly improve students’ essay and bibliography writing,” said Prorak, “but beyond that, positive perceptions and confidence about using the library are huge factors in students continuing their studies here at the university.”

As campus-wide assessments of UI Library instruction consistently show, students are becoming more comfortable navigating the library resources to find and evaluate quality sources for their assignments.

A large percentage of the instructors (97 percent) indicated that the library instruction sessions were beneficial to their students in learning information literacy skills, and 81 percent said they felt their students’ bibliographies or use of sources were better because of the library sessions.

“I gained some very real world skills that I have taken with me through college and will use in my career.”

In addition to the surveys, librarians use rubrics to assess improvement in student research paper bibliographies after library instruction. In 2013-14, before library instruction only 31 percent of bibliographies were rated acceptable. After library instruction, the percent of bibliographies from the same classes that were judged acceptable rose to 69 percent.

“Before instruction, many students tell us that they feel overwhelmed by the large size and different organization of our library compared to libraries they’ve used before,” said Diane Prorak, UI Library instruction program coordinator.

Nate Fisher, UI junior and ASUI President

“One of the goals of our library instruction is to allay those concerns and help students feel comfortable looking for information and asking for research help,” she said.

Nate Fisher, a UI junior and the current ASUI president, said that the research skills he acquired through library instruction have been especially helpful to him as a political science major.

In my freshman year, I took ISEM 101 in my first semester and English 102 second semester, so I had library instruction both times,” said Fisher.

“I gained some very real world skills that I have taken with me through college and will use in my career,” he added.

More information about the UI Assessment in Action project can be found at http://libguides.uidaho.edu/ AiAIdaho.

Go Green. Get Towers by email. If you currently receive the print version, send your email address to librdean@uidaho.edu, and we’ll email a hyperlink to each new edition.

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2014 GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Day draws record crowd technologies are being used to transform learning and improve quality of life.

The UI Library hosted the third annual University of Idaho GIS Day on November 19 in the Idaho Commons, drawing a record number of participants – well over 100 – from the Moscow campus and community.

Joining the UI Library as sponsors for the event were the Northern Rockies Chapter of URISA, Rim Rock Consulting, Inc., and the Idaho EPSCoR Office.

Highlights included a presentation about Global Positioning Systems (GPS) by one of the founders of Magellan Systems Corporation; an introduction to unmanned aircraft (drones) by an expert in drone operations and policy; a panel discussion about the skills for a career in GIS; and a discussion of a UI-developed computer model that uses Landsat satellite data for natural resources applications. Presenter Craig Thompson of the Office of Wildland Fire in Boise noted a “strong sense of enthusiasm for GIS and its various applications throughout the day.”

An exhibits area (pictured at right) featured interactive demonstrations and printed posters on GIS-related topics.

Attendees visited with presenters to learn how geospatial

The 2014 GIS Day exhibit hall. Photo by Terry Gray.

Briefly . . .

and a UI Library Research Colloquium on copyright issues in academia. Read more about 2014 Open Access Week in the UI Library here: http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/services/scholarly/ openaccessweek.html

Press coverage of digital Stonebraker Collection In the last issue of Towers, you read about a new digital collection of images documenting William Stonebraker’s life and times as a pack runner, game hunter, and mining supplier in the central Idaho wilderness from 1900 to 1931. Announcement of the new collection triggered broad-based media attention throughout the state, including coverage from KLEW television news and Digital Iinitiatives’ Devin Becker Boise State Public Radio. The and Erin Stoddart with the KLEW interview with Digital’s Devin Stonebraker Collection Becker and Erin Stoddart (at right) is available on the station’s website at http://www.klewtv. com/news/local/U-I-Digitized-photos-280710422.html. The Boise State Public Radio piece can be accessed here: http:// boisestatepublicradio.org/post/idahos-legacy-comes-life-20thcentury-photos

UI Library on cover of widely-read national publication The library is featured on the cover of the current issue of Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. Many academic librarians rely on Choice for reviews of books and digital resources. The publication reaches almost every college and university library in the nation.

Outreach to first-year athletes, dorm residents An outreach initiative to athletes and dorm residents helped many students alleviate “library anxiety” this fall.

A two-part series of library workshops were provided to first-year athletes through Vandal First-year students in Wallace Residence Hall Academic Support’s NCAA CHAMPS Life Skills Program, a mandatory course for all freshman athletes, and first-year dorm residents through the Student Success Center in Wallace Residence Hall. The goal of the workshops is to reach students who might not otherwise have an introduction to the library during their first semester.

Newly digitized Experiment Station documents The library’s newest digital initiative is the Idaho Forest Wildlife and Range Experiment Station Collection. The collection includes over 200 documents published from 1954 to the present, covering UI-led research on topics ranging from Idaho’s forests and hydrology to rangeland, fisheries, and wildlife. You can see the collection here: http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/fwres/

The Vandal athletes had a library tour and scavenger hunt, an introduction to using the library and information literacy concepts, and a game of library Jeopardy. Evening sessions for residence hall students covered tips for research using the library and included snacks, games, and prizes. Approximately 55 students were reached. Workshop evaluations were overwhelmingly positive, and students were genuinely interested and appreciative of the library’s efforts.

Open Access Week on the Moscow campus As part of the annual Open Access Week celebration, the library invited the campus community to participate in several events, including a film screening at the Kenworthy Theatre in downtown Moscow; a zine workshop in the UI Commons;

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Dean’s Corner: The library’s impact on student success and retention

Libraries have changed so much over my career.

Dr. Lynn Baird, Where librarians Dean of Libraries once simply helped students locate a few scarce books and periodical articles, we now teach them how to sift through a plethora of information resources. We give them tools to evaluate and cull the best from what they locate.

This issue of Towers highlights our library’s instruction program and its importance to student success and retention at the University of Idaho. It is significant that our team of nine reference and instruction librarians reaches more than 50 percent of all UI undergraduate students, imparting skills and confidence required for academic research. More importantly, as you read, these instruction sessions improve student learning. These are

skills that employers seek in our graduates.

The library houses the instruction space for this classes and we are working to provide a cutting edge learning environment by renovating our first floor for this purpose.

We envision different types of learning spaces, with new and innovative technology, to enhance the opportunities for student collaborations and creations.

You can help us with this transformation. Your donations will make the difference in what we are able to accomplish with the renovation, raising us from simple to sublime design.

Furniture will be critical for us to support modern learning environments.

You may contribute to the Library Dean’s Excellence Fund, dedicated to this project, or to any of our other library funds, using the information on the right.

From all of us to all of you, may the season bring peace and joy.

Ways to Give For information on giving options and ensuring that your gift is used exactly the way you want it to be, contact Jim Zuba at (208)885-4142 (work), (509)432-6422 (cell), or jzuba@uidaho.edu.

• Cash Gifts • Planned Giving • In-kind Gifts (Materials and Personal Collections) • Tax Benefits Appreciated Assets • Memorial or Honorary Gifts Please visit: www.lib.uidaho.edu/ giving/ways.html

875 Perimeter Dr., 2350 Moscow, ID 83844-2350 Phone: (208) 885-6534 Email: librdean@uidaho.edu

As I write this, the fall semester is winding down, snow is on the ground, and the holiday season approaches.