OU Libraries Faculty Scholarship

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Empowering users with a new online catalog
(Emerald, 2000) Lombardo, Shawn V.; Condic, Kristine S.
In June 1998 Oakland University's library migrated to a new online catalog. In order to determine user acceptance of the new OPAC, students receiving library instruction were asked to complete an open-ended questionnaire eliciting comments on their likes, dislikes and online catalog preference. From the data collected, a second questionnaire was designed and distributed that focused on specific features of the new catalog identified in the first survey. Results indicated that users overwhelmingly preferred the new OPAC and found it easy to use; however, they experienced some difficulty using special features like truncation. The most popular feature of the new catalog was its remote access capability. Second-generation OPACs possess features––such as electronic reserves capabilities and hypertext links––that are beginning to simplify the search process; but they have not yet developed into the intuitive, comprehensive systems that can empower users to seek information in new ways.
Convenience or content: A study of undergraduate periodical use
(Emerald, 2001) Lombardo, Shawn V.; Condic, Kristine S.
Full-text periodical databases have changed how students access research materials. Many librarians fear that students favor the convenience of full-text databases over more valuable information found in print periodical literature. To what extent is this true? A study was undertaken at Oakland University to determine how well students mastered the retrieval process for print and full-text articles, and to gather their opinions on the value of both formats. A pre-/post-test instrument was administered to students before and after instruction to measure their knowledge of the library and its databases. A final test, including questions designed to measure student attitudes about the article retrieval process, was administered upon completion of a term paper. Results indicate that many students valued the convenience of full-text articles over the article's relevance, but they also found the overall research process to be difficult. The research students conducted also impacted their test results. Other findings are discussed.
Beyond these walls: Building a library outreach program at Oakland University
(Taylor & Francis, 2003) Kraemer, Elizabeth W.; Lombardo, Shawn V.; Keyse, Dana
To enhance the learning experiences of all students, today’s academic librarians must engage in outreach efforts that move beyond the walls of the library. In the past year, Oakland University’s Kresge Library has made significant inroads in developing outreach initiatives that provide needed services to previously underserved student populations, such as transfer students, multicultural groups, and on-campus residents. These programs have increased the library’s visibility, enhanced its image among the university’s students, faculty, and staff alike, and positioned it at the heart of teaching and learning on campus. This article describes some of these outreach efforts.
Caught in the web: The impact of library instruction on business students' perceptions and use of print and online resources
(ACRL Publications, 2003-01) Lombardo, Shawn V.; Miree, Cynthia E.
Many business students rely heavily on the Web for research, in part because of their unfamiliarity with the breadth of their library’s business resources (online and in print). This study sought to determine whether library instruction could impact undergraduate business students’ attitudes and use of three information formats: print materials, library databases, and Web resources. Over the course of a semester, pre-/post-instruction questionnaires were collected from ninety students enrolled in a business capstone course. Results indicate that after library instruction, students held more favorable attitudes toward print resources and used them in their research more than they had initially expected.
Developing the Online Learning Environment: The Pros and Cons of Using WebCT for Library Instruction
(American Library Association, 2003-06) Kraemer, Elizabeth W.
Rising enrollments at Oakland University (OU) have required librarians to decrease instruction time with each basic writing class in order to preserve contact with all sections. As a result, the faculty at Kresge Library developed an online instruction module to familiarize students with library research. Using WebCT course management software, the librarians are able to introduce students to basic library skills so that in-class time can be used to teach more advanced research techniques. This article focuses on the benefits and drawbacks of using WebCT for such a library instruction program, and the support provided to the instructors of the courses using the module.
Mentoring Untenured Librarians: All it Takes is a Little Un-TLC
(ACRL Publications, 2003-06) Kraemer, Elizabeth W.; Keyse, Dana; Voelck, Julie
n/a
Developing Information Literacy Instruction for Honors Students at Oakland University: An Information Consulting Approach
(The Haworth Information Press, 2007) Kraemer, Elizabeth W.
Entering the university setting can be daunting for even the brightest of students, given the increased coursework and research expected of them as compared to high school. To support these significant research needs and help Oakland University honors students meet their academic goals, a librarian liaison position was created to work with Honors College students and faculty, with information literacy instruction being the focus of the services the Library offers to the Honors College. This article describes the development of the information literacy instruction program for the Honors College at Oakland University and discusses plans for future growth of the information consulting relationship.
Keeping Up With the Journals: A Library Journal Club at Oakland University
(Elsevier, 2007) Kraemer, Elizabeth W.
Journal clubs, often relied upon in the sciences, can also be applied in the field of librarianship, where busy schedules make it challenging to stay current on research in the field. This article discusses the development of a journal club at Oakland University’s Kresge Library.
The Librarian, the Machine, or a Little of Both: A Comparative Study of Three Information Literacy Pedagogies at Oakland University
(ACRL Publications, 2007-07) Kraemer, Elizabeth W.; Lombardo, Shawn V.; Lepkowski, Frank J.
Each year, Oakland library faculty provide information literacy instruction for Rhetoric 160, a first-year writing course, through a combination of WebCT-based online tutorials and in-class teaching. For this study, twelve sections of RHT 160 during the winter 2005 term were selected to compare three instructional methods: online instruction only, live instruction, and the current “hybrid” combination of live instruction and online tutorials. The sections were assigned to one of the instructional methods and, to assess student learning, all students (n=224) completed identical pre- and post-tests. Results of the study, including differences in student performance in relation to pedagogy, are discussed.
Documenting the Immigrant and Ethnic Experience in American Archives
(Society of American Archivists, 2010) Daniel, Dominique
This paper examines the development of ethnic and immigrant archives in the United States since the 1960s. It focuses on the dramatic evolution of "ethnic archiving"—the processes and objectives involved in documenting the immigrant and ethnic experience—and shows how cultural minorities evolved from an object or theme of archival collections to active participants in the creation, appraisal, description, and use of their own archives. A number of factors made this evolution possible: a new political context increasingly responsive to minority rights and cultural diversity, rising interest in social history, and the influence of postmodernist thought on archival theory. New digital technologies have also facilitated the expression and archiving of ethnic voices.
Social Software in Academic Libraries for Internal Communication and Knowledge Management: A Comparison of Two Reference Blog Implementations
(Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 2010-04) Rodriguez, Julia E.
This article investigates the adoption of new innovations for internal reference desk communication and knowledge management in academic libraries, specifically the use of social software tools. Actual implementations of the free blog software Wordpress from two university libraries are described including charts detailing advantages and disadvantages of the methods. In the context of the diffusion of innovation and organizational lag theories, the analyzed outcomes confirm that while social software tools are being used, relatively few institutions have exploited them for improving in-house processes. Without clearly articulated long-term gains, adoption of administrative innovations will follow the pattern of organizational lag.
Dissertation 101: A research and writing intervention for Education graduate students
(2011) Switzer, Anne; Wynn Perdue, Sherry
The vast breadth of information sources available in the field of education and the dearth of institutional resources for native graduate writers have left many graduate students overwhelmed, struggling to conduct an exhaustive review of the literature and to compose their literature reviews. To remedy this concern, collaboration between library and writing center faculty resulted in Dissertation 101, a seminar designed for graduate education students who are about to commence research for this high-stakes document. Bolstering the connections between academic librarians, writing center faculty, and graduate students has proven effective in refining the information seeking, evaluation, and synthesis skills of graduate education students. The seminar, now in its second year, is presented as a model intervention, a first step toward greater institutional accountability for graduate student writers.
Social Media Use in Higher Education: Key Areas to Consider for Educators
(Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 2011-12) Rodriguez, Julia E.;
The use of social media in higher education classrooms is on the rise as faculty employ a variety of software tools and free web applications to enhance learning, communication, and engagement. Web 2.0 social software exists beyond traditional course management systems and potentially opens up the academic environment to a public space. This article presents important issues for educators to consider as they use these new tools by investigating the ramifications of moving academic activities to a public sphere and examining how laws that govern our academic freedoms and behaviors translate in this new environment. The discussion focuses on concerns specific to incorporating the use of social media and user-generated content into the teaching and learning environment in higher education, touching on compliance with disability and privacy law, intellectual property rights, copyright law, and the fair use exemption providing practical advice with each area of consideration.
Business information literacy teaching at different academic levels: An exploration of skills and implications for instructional design
(Journal of Information Literacy, 2012) Hristova, Mariela; Miree, Cynthia E.
This study investigates the difference among students' discipline-specific information literacy (IL) skills by studying first-year and final-year undergraduate business students. An online IL tutorial was designed and delivered to both student groups with a two-fold goal. First, the researchers wanted to compare students' IL skills to test the faculty's assumptions that business students who are about to graduate have already acquired the requisite IL despite the lack of mandatory business-specific IL sessions. The findings suggest that first-year and final-year business students are not significantly different in their performance and that both groups received a significant positive impact as a result of taking the same IL tutorial online. Second, the study analyses how well the online IL tutorial, with its focus on combining instructional videos with active learning exercises, performs in delivering content related to different elements of IL, as defined by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL 2010). The findings indicate that the online IL tutorial is more effective for some skills than for others, suggesting that it will be beneficial to explore different instructional designs in collaboration with the departmental faculty to improve the current IL tutorial in these areas. This study adds to research on the effectiveness of online tutorials and raises questions related to their design. The findings can inform librarians' decisions on how to design online learning targeting students from different academic levels.
The Politics of Ethnic Heritage Preservation in Canada: The Case of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario
(University of Texas Press, 2012) Daniel, Dominique
This article examines the constitution of the collections of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario between 1976 and 1982 in the context of the Canadian policy of multiculturalism. Set up as an independent nonprofit organization to document the history of ethnocultural communities in Ontario, the society was funded with public money. This article considers how competition with other cultural heritage organizations and relationships with ethnic donors affected collecting strategies. While the society’s mission was scholarly, the politicization of multiculturalism influenced its collecting process in significant ways. This case study illustrates the importance of understanding contextual factors when assessing the scope, content, and limitations of library, archive, or museum collections.
Teaching Students How to Research the Past: Historians and Librarians in the Digital Age
(Society for History Education, 2012-01) Daniel, Dominique
The article discusses innovations in information and communication technologies and examines their impact on the teaching of history, as well as student learning. Particular focus is given to ways in which the practices of historians, librarians, and history teachers are influenced by technology. Studies regarding the opinions of students, faculty members, and librarians regarding historical research training are highlighted and research processes such as metaliteracy and bibliographic instruction are explored. The article also notes collaborative efforts between academic librarians and college history teachers.
Beyond the Web Tutorial: Development and Implementation of an Online, Self-Directed Academic Integrity Course at Oakland University
(Elsevier, 2012-09) Greer, Katie; Swanberg, Stephanie M.; Hristova, Mariela; Switzer, Anne; Daniel, Dominique; Perdue, Sherry Wynn
Intentional and unintentional plagiarism cases occur frequently and present unique pedagogical challenges for librarians, who often are deemed responsible for ensuring that undergraduates gain a solid understanding of academic integrity issues via information literacy instruction. This article describes the process by which faculty from the Oakland University Libraries and the Oakland University Writing Center developed an online, self-directed academic integrity course aimed at reducing plagiarism on campus. Prior to this course, the library offered a substantially shorter web-based plagiarism tutorial, which was used in course instruction and the Cite Right Program, the writing center's intervention for academic dishonesty. A recent assessment of this tool revealed that it no longer addressed the needs of the campus community. To address its gaps, the library and the writing center collaborated on more substantial content, which is detailed herein.
Gender, Race, and Age of Librarians and Users Have an Impact on the Perceived Approachability of Librarians
(University of Alberta Learning Services, 2013) Daniel, Dominique
A Review of: Bonnet, J. L., & McAlexander, B. (2012). Structural diversity in academic libraries: A study of librarian approachability. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 38(5), 277-286. doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2012.06.002
Millennial Generation Students Search the Web Erratically, with Minimal Evaluation of Information Quality
(University of Alberta Learning Services, 2013) Daniel, Dominique
A Review of: Taylor, A. (2012). A study of the information search behaviour of the millennial generation. Information Research, 17(1), paper 508. Retrieved from http://informationr.net/ir/17-1/paper508.html
The MAGIC of Web Tutorials: How one library (re)focused its delivery of online learning objects on users
(Taylor and Francis, 2013-11-20) Nichols Hess, Amanda
Oakland University (OU) Libraries undertook an assessment of how to leverage its resources to make online tutorials more focused on users’ needs. A multi-part assessment process reconsidered web tutorials offerings through the lenses of faculty and staff feedback, literature review, and an analysis of other universities’ online tutorial offerings. From there, OU’s e-Learning and Instructional Technology Librarian developed the MAGIC guidelines (Manageable, Available, Geared at users, Informative, Customizable) to resituate OU Libraries’ online tutorials and place users at the center. Putting MAGIC into practice meant integrating web tutorials at points-of-need, identifying and sharing essential information, and engaging students in the learning whenever possible.

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