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It is unquestionable that the role of reference in academic libraries is changing, as this week’s readings suggest. This should not cause alarm. AsBarner summarises in her 2011 work, Ranganathan’s 1931 fifth law of library science states that the library is a growing organism. Therefore, asBarner in 2011 suggests, change within libraries is essential to ensure the library adapts ‘itself with spirit of time so it can serve best those who need it’. Such as this week’s required readings, there is much contemporary literature concerned with the changing role of reference in academic libraries. This literature often focuses on the way that academic libraries should and can adapt to best serve its current users. Often this week’s required readings suggest that a constructive change within academic libraries is to meet the people where they are: online. However, the people are very infrequently considered to be in the classroom. Therefore, this week’s required readings speak at length about creating more successful online reference services and in-class reference services are largely forgotten. This week’s Twitter chat inspired me to reflect upon this trend in more depth. The last question of the Twitter chat was ‘If we think it’s better to to teach people to fish than buy them McDonland’s (alluding to the famous proverb), what do we think about subject guides?’ To this question, I responded, ‘I found the class with a subject librarian at the start of every semester to be most effective.’ Of all of my tweets, this tweet got the most reactions, all of a positive nature. This answer came from my own personal experience. As an undergraduate, at an institution other than QUT, the first week of my tutorials for every subject of every semester, was taken in a library computer room under the direction of the subject librarian. The librarian would teach us search techniques, how to use the library website to get the most out of that subject and how to navigate databases particular to that subject. I found this to be a worthwhile service. Since almost all of this week’s required readings talk about the importance of, or shift to, information literacy within reference, it seems the literature would also agree that this service is worthwhile. To take a specific example, Barner writes in her 2011 paper about how useful Boolean search techniques are and that they should be taught by an information professional. Although I did not know at the time that the search techniques that I was learning had a specific name, I have mastered, and been using Boolean techniques since the fist semester of my undergraduate degree. By definition, it seems that such classes are a perfect response to the changing role of reference in academic libraries: the classes meet the people where they are (and the classes are compulsory!) and the classes teach us how to fish by increasing information literacy every semester, four times over. However, it appears that I was in a very lucky position to be at a university that offered such a service. As this week’s required readings taught me, this lack of service occurs because of the difficulty library staff encounter when trying to work alongside faculty. This reminded me of Layton and Hahn’s article that I read earlier this year. In their 1995 article, Layton and Hahn advocate for library classes taught by a librarian (in the field of health sciences). However, Layton and Hahn’s article also discussed the difficulty and hard work required on behalf of the librarian to create a working relationship with faculty. In this week’s required readings, little was suggested to bridge this gap, focussing instead online reference services. Bridging this gaps appears to be a worthwhile task.
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Hi Kate, I enjoyed reading and reflecting on your blog. It is interesting to read what you say about the librarian led lessons at the start of each subject. I agree that this would be beneficial. QUT library does have tutorials in search techniques. I attended a “Back to Study” one in orientation week, which was very hands on and included Boolean techniques, which I like you had used but didn’t know the term. I think subject specific ones would be useful and if they were part of the teaching plan students would be more likely to be aware of them and attend. I personally find Quick Find a bit hit and miss, I an cpy and paste a journal article from the readings and still struggle to find it sometimes.
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Hi Debbie, The “Back to study” seminar sounds fantastic! During O-week I tired to attend as many seminars at the library as I could and which I thought would be useful to me. It is a real shame that I did not see the potential of this seminar in its title title and description. Therefore, I didn’t go. I really would have liked to. I wonder how many other students missed out too. I wonder, also, how many students choose not to go, not understanding the benefit of such seminars. ‘m glad you attended and found it so useful!
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Hi Kate,
I agree with Stacey your tutorials sound beneficial and not something I have ever encountered before. I too have sometimes struggled with searching a full citation I know is within a libraries holdings and not coming up with the desired result. I would definitely like to learn how to fish a little smarter if only to save time. Perhaps though its not just the divide between the academic and librarian that causes issues but also the inability to attract students who require help. Whether this is due to the dispersal of the student population with distance study or the fear of wasting someones time discussed in a previous forum I am unsure however many readings discuss how hard it is to connect students with the service. A key component in the move to online reference services. Perhaps the idea of tracking results and the use of effective reference services in Verma may go someway to solving both issues. If it can be demonstrated to both academics and students that those who make use of reference services perform better than relationships can be improved and traffic increased. The collection of such data in a meaningful way would be a whole other issue however.
Caitlin
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Thanks for your comment Caitlin!
I agree with your comment that states that the problem might not be just between faculty and librarian but also attracting students to attend. Even though the sessions at my previous university were compulsory, many students chose not to attend. They chose not to attend because they couldn’t see the benefit of it, especially since we did it four times a semester. I also think you have provided an excellent puzzle piece of the solution. Being able to show students how library skills aid their work would be a ideal. Like you say, it would be another task of itself. Perhaps, at some point, the importance of tracking/revealing such statistics will become so clear that it will be undertaken with support.
I really like that you brought to attention the fact that not all students are on campus but some are online. This thought occurred to me when replying to someone else’s post. I realise that I should have taken more time to consider how these students could also be involved. (I think the way our MIS lectures are given in real time to external students is quite unique. I wonder if pre-recorded lectures would work well for these library sessions where students’ lectures aren’t delivered in real time?)
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Hi,
I can see alot of fantastic research has gone into this and I commend you on your hard work. However with libraries having to adapt from paper to digital will this affect the future of academic research?
Steve
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