working together: the final report: ala 2012 (long)
DESCRIPTION
Slides from Elisabeth Leonard's presentation on the "working together: evolving value for academic libraries" research by LISU and commissioned by SAGETRANSCRIPT
Presentation for ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA, June 2012
Background 6-month research project
Value of academic libraries for teaching and research staff Looking at evidence base and faculty perceptions
Objective: How libraries can… Better market their services Improve perceptions with key decision makers
Evidence of library support for research in literature Less evidence on their support for teaching
MethodologyLiterature
review
Case studies
Regional surveys
Final report with
triangulated results
• Literature review
To inform
• Case studies• 2 UK• 4 USA• 2 Scandinavia
Confirmed by
• Survey of librarians
Elicit participation and comments via the project blog: http://libraryvalue.wordpress.com/
Research Questions
• Do librarians have a good understanding of the needs of teaching and research staff?
• Are librarians effectively promoting their resources and services?• Does this influence perceptions of the
library amongst those staff?
What Do You Think?Library Value
Who do you think values the library most?
A)Management
B) Academics
C) Students
Perceptions of the Library: Librarians
Feedback received is generally positive Varies according to level of engagement
Concern that faculty do not understand library ‘Staff never cease to be amazed at what we
can actually provide/help them with.’ (UK survey respondent)
Changing role of the library
Perceptions of the Library: Faculty The library is not just a place to the faculty, but the
services we provide. (US respondent) Staff believe that young people are inherently tech
savvy and do not need any additional guidance, instruction, or introduction to library resources. (Scandinavian respondent)
Academic staff tend to reply on their liaison for teaching database and searching skills, but believe that they can teach the importance of using scholarly material and evaluating sources (UK respondent)
Working together: services
Embedded information literacy instruction Integrated teaching services Integrated research services Research partnerships
What Do You Think?Library Services for Teaching
What service do you think is most valued by the teaching staff?A) Promoting newly acquired information resources
B) Information literacy group training
C) Support from subject specialist librarians
D) Information literacy teaching embedded into classes
E) Liaison work with departments
F) Something else
Faculty Response to Embedded Information Literacy Instruction
Benefits Academics see value Increase in quality of the work received
from students
Faculty Response to Integrated Teaching Services
Success of co-teaching not necessarily linked to the librarian’s level of subject expertise
Librarians expertise helpful in use of IT tools in courses E.g. podcasts, wikis, blogs
What Do You Think?Library Services for Research
What service do you think is most valued by the research staff?
A) Promoting newly acquired information resources
B) Help with literature searching
C) One-on-one information literacy training
D) Support from subject specialist librarians
E) Something else
Faculty Response to Integrated Research Services
Research support usually includes: Open access, bibliometrics, literature searching
Survey found that support for Open Access publishing and particularly for self-archiving were relatively more important to Scandinavian respondents than those in the UK or US
Relationships are key!
Areas to Enhance Future Value: Research partnerships
Support with grant applications Inclusion of the cost of the resources needed
for the project Assistance with data management
Data Specialist Librarian
Areas to Enhance Future Value: Research Partnerships
Data Specialist Librarian More value from research data
Generates more research partnerships Success factors
‘frame [the service] from a faculty perspective rather than from a librarian perspective’
Direct response to researchers’ individual needs
Marketing the Library
Librarians’ Views: Visibility of the Library and Library Services
Communication Wide range of traditional communication channels
Presence at departmental meetings Engage with departmental leadership Representation in university committee structure “Whether this is a good idea or not (and ignoring
practicalities), I almost think that turning off all of our electronic resources for a day or three would increase the perceived value of the library” (UK respondent)
Librarians’ Views: Personal relationships
Bring trust Make it possible to tailor services to specific
needs Offer a response to a direct problem
Recommendations
Recommendations to Individual Librarians
Know your audience – research their needs, discuss with them
Go beyond the comfort zone – expand skills and knowledge beyond librarianship
Recommendations to Libraries and their Managers
Skills assessment & staff development at your institution
Free up time for new demands on librarians Document and share the process of building
partnerships – for the benefits of other librarians at your institution (Wiki-based document?)
Start to collect evidence of value Success stories? Quantifiable evidence?
To find out more… Final report now published Project website
http://libraryvalue.wordpress.com/ Contact
SAGE: [email protected]
LISU: [email protected]
Thank you
Questions?