July 2006 Give graduate students what they want! WHAT THEY REALLY, REALLY WANT Dominic Hakim Silvio Killam Memorial Library Dalhousie University

July 2006 About Me

July 2006 Agenda Introduction Objectives of the session Statement of problem Research instrument Findings/solutions conclusions

July 2006 About You!

July 2006 Introduction “ an information literate person is an individual who is capable of realizing the need for information, finds, evaluates and effectively uses the information he or she needs” (ALA, 1989) “studies done on user needs indicate a strong emphasis on planning user oriented services that can provide more responsive, effective and accountable service” “the aim of the library and information literacy skills curriculum is not only to teach how to locate and access information sources but to develop logical and critical thinking in the students as well”

July 2006 Motivation evaluate the library instruction given to graduate students taking into considerations: their requirements from the library, how the library can help them; and what obstacles prevent them from successful exploitation of library resources.

July 2006 Objectives of the session To share the results and successes of using user- centered approach Reinforce the importance of librarians/specialists to conduct an ongoing user-centered studies Teaching from the students perspective (Bottom-up teaching ≠ Top-down teaching) Encourage ongoing dialogue among professors and librarians on research methodology to the end of improving student research skills.

July 2006 Statement of Problem IL skills and BI based on professional judgement of two players (librarians & teaching faculty) Instruction provided does not match students' immediate information needs Assessment of user needs not done Searchers vs. Finders

July 2006 Methodology Surveys For students both first & second year Incoming first years (subsequently) Focus group discussion Students mainly first years Faculty involved Target-research method course.

July 2006 Survey Questions How often do you use the library’s OPAC? How often have you consulted a reference librarian? How often have you consulted a Subject Specialists/ subject liaison librarian? How often do you use Databases & online Journals? How often have you used Interlibrary loan and document delivery services?

July 2006 Results of the Survey How often do you use the library’s OPAC? 20/32 (63%) Very often 9/32 (28%) often 0/32 sometimes 0/32 seldom 3/32 (9%) never

July 2006 Results cont’d How often have you consulted a reference librarian? 0/32 (0%) very often 0/32 (0%) often 24/32 (75%) sometimes 5/32 (16%) seldom 3/32 (9%) never

July 2006 Results cont’d How often have you consulted a Subject Specialists/ subject liaison librarian? 0/32 (0%) very often 0/32 (0%) often 8/32 (25%) Sometimes 8/32 (25%) Seldom 16/32 (50%) Never

July 2006 Results cont’d How often do you use Databases & online Journals? 0/32 (0%) very often 16/32 (50%) often 6/32 (19%) sometimes 6/32 (19%) Seldom 4/32 (12%) Never

July 2006 Results cont’d How often have you used interlibrary loan and document delivery services? 3/32 (9%) very often 10/32 (31%) often 6/32 (19%) sometimes 6/32 (19%) seldom 7/32 (22%) never

July 2006 Focus Group Sample Questions For more effective and efficient use of the library, graduate students need library instruction on how to use information sources in their subject areas? Which sections or services in the library do you need the most help with to meet your information needs? How do you feel about the library instruction offered to graduate students? Do you think an in class library instruction session for graduate students is something worth attending?

July 2006 What Next????? Two things agreed upon: Orientation for both faculty and grad students Advance library research session

July 2006 What the students & faculty say after? Increased awareness of the significance of their role as researchers and not finders. Increased awareness of the complexities of research process. Increased self-confidence in their abilities as researchers. Improvement in the quality of works cited for essays. Better incorporation of academic resources in papers.

July 2006 Thanks. Any Questions ?

July 2006 Test Your Knowledge!