UNews - professional librarian

Look for new version of LibQUAL+ Survey

trevor.kenney — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:42:07 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library is rapidly becoming a victim of its own success – and library staff and administration wouldn't have it any other way.

Since initiating the first LibQual+ Survey in 2005, the library responded with a number of changes that were positively reflected in the subsequent 2008 survey. It's now 2011 and another survey is ready to be undertaken, meaning the review process begins once again. Professional librarian, Leona Jacobs, says it will be enlightening to see if the upward trend they experienced in 2008 will continue.

"With a sample size of two surveys to date, the data says we're doing OK, we're holding in some areas and we're also improving on some things," says Jacobs. "More importantly, we've been able to create an even greater expectation level in many areas. This is a good indicator because it shows we're headed in the right direction but it also puts it on us to rise to the challenge."

The LibQual+ Survey is a web-based questionnaire distributed to faculty members, graduate students and a random sampling of undergraduate students registered in courses at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. A tool used worldwide, it is considered a key method in evaluating the perceived quality of library services offered to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community.

"We try to get to three things from this, the users' minimum expectation of service, their desired level of library service and finally their perceived level of library service," says Jacobs.

In looking back at the data acquired in 2008, users raised their expectation level significantly from 2005, and Jacobs expects the trend to continue when this year's survey is returned. That's just fine with her because it speaks to the library's ability to respond to concerns and take on initiatives that meet its users' needs.

"It's a way of tuning into whether we are meeting the expectations of our users," she says. "It will be interesting to see how we are doing relative to our two previous surveys. I like doing a bit of trend analysis to see how we are tracking."

The survey is comprehensive, asking 22 core questions as well as an additional five questions that the library can localize. How they score is assessed on a scale of 1-9.

Jacobs urges those selected to take part (an invitation will be sent out Feb. 28 and the survey closes Mar. 18) to participate. As with any survey process, the more data acquired, the more accurate the picture is of the library users' overall mood.

One thing they have learned over the past two surveys is how important it is that the library works closely with faculty members.

"It's something that seems obvious but became even more apparent after going through this process, especially in terms of collections," says Jacobs. "We really have to keep faculty engaged on the collection front, and then other doors open for us. Students take their lead from faculty in terms of resources, and if we can work through them, we'll continue to meet the needs of our students."

For more information on the LibQual+ process or to take a look at past survey results and subsequent initiatives, visit the library website at www.uleth.ca/lib/libQUAL/2011

For a look at the February issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Library focussing on new ideas

trevor.kenney — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:40:40 +0000

By NICOLE EVA

If you tried to access the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library on May 4, you would have found the doors locked – and for good reason. Every year at this time, the library closes its doors for a one-day staff retreat. This year, the library administration team brought in speakers from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and Edmonton Public libraries to talk about new initiatives they have recently undertaken that may prove useful here at the U of L.

For example, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria underwent major renovations recently, turning the main floor of the McPherson Library into the C.W. Lui Learning Commons. The idea of a learning commons is one that is catching on in many academic libraries worldwide, as institutions try to better serve the needs of today's students.

For most, it means a change from a collection-centric model of the library to a more learning-centric model – making the library into a central hub of learning on campus. At Victoria, they created partnerships with several other campus units, such as the Writing Centre, Systems, the Teaching & Learning Centre, Career Services, Peer Help and other subject-specific tutoring services, giving them all space in the commons. It thereby makes the area a one-stop shop for students in need of any kind of help, be it research, technological or otherwise.

As well, a media commons was also developed, where students are able to borrow laptop computers, video cameras and other equipment in addition to using multimedia stations where they can create and edit audiovisual projects.

Meanwhile, the Edmonton Public Library (EPL) and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta (U of A) libraries have entered into a unique relationship whereby the EPL has established a satellite branch in one of the libraries on the U of A campus.

Called eplGO, the 1,500 square foot space houses approximately 8,000 high-use materials from the public library, including fiction and non-fiction books, DVDs and CDs which patrons can borrow using their existing U of A library card (on an opt-in basis). The branch has proven to be very popular and has seen high circulation numbers since opening in November 2008.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta has also introduced an integrated service desk model. Rather than having separate reference and circulation desks, the U of A has opted to have one service desk, staffed by both librarians and technicians. This allows library users the ability to ask for research help and check out materials all in one location. It is a concept the U of A has been rolling out at all of its campus libraries and has been well received by students, staff and faculty.

The success of these initiatives provides interesting food for thought for our own operations, as we look to better serve our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community in the future.

Nicole Eva is a professional librarian in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library

Retreat helps generate ideas for library

trevor.kenney — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:47:12 +0000

If you tried to access the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library on May 4, you would have found the doors locked – and for good reason. Every year at this time, the library closes its doors for a one-day staff retreat. This year, the library administration team brought in speakers from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and Edmonton Public libraries to talk about new initiatives they have recently undertaken that may prove useful here at the U of L.

The success of these initiatives provides interesting food for thought for our own operations, as we look to better serve our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community in the future.

Nicole Eva is a professional librarian in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library

New world asks researchers to rethink data management

trevor.kenney — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:09:05 +0000

There's a shift at hand in the world of scholarly publishing and data management, one that is sure to aid researchers in the dissemination of their work. To take advantage of this new world however, researchers will need to approach their work with an eye to where it will eventually reside. That's where Maxine Tedesco comes in.

A professional librarian in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library, Tedesco is in charge of Data & GIS Services, as well as government documents, geography and math & computer science. More than anything though, Tedesco has discovered after a year's study leave, that librarians could play an important role in assisting researchers to establish data management plans as the publishing world continues to shift to the digital stream.

"It's a paradigm shift for everybody," says Tedesco. "There has been this idea that you publish your work and that's the end product, but in the electronic and digital world, even more can be accomplished. We're looking at a new era, an open access kind of world, and right now we're in a transition period, working towards being able to take full advantage of exactly what that world has to offer."

The old school approach to publishing research was a process that saw scholars create a document, publish it and then hand it off to see it archived. The electronic world demands more of researchers but also creates much greater opportunities for researchers to share their knowledge.

"You have to think about where you're going to archive something before you actually decide to put it there," says Tedesco. "This affects the research project from the very beginning in order to ensure that the work is created using the electronic formats, descriptive elements, etc., which will meet the standards of the chosen archive."

The end goal is to create research materials that are active and living long after an article is published.

Funding agencies like the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) have always required researchers to deposit their data somewhere at the end of the approved research project but had never really enforced this practice.

"They are now being much more stringent in following through with this requirement and it's in researchers' best interests," says Tedesco. "When they ask researchers to deposit their data, they want for it to be reutilized. They don't want for the data to end up in a desk drawer somewhere, unavailable and eventually just being discarded."

It's important for scholars to begin thinking about their research projects in a new way so that they have an understanding of what is available to them in terms of data management practices.

"The big thing is to try and think about the end before you start," she says. "There are some choices for depositing data currently, all with their own pros and cons, but it can be quite confusing. There are no definitive answers, but we hope to work with faculty in the future to help identify and outline their most viable options."

Transition program lessens anxiety

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:04:15 +0000

Navigating the complex world of a university library can be a daunting experience for anyone. You can up the anxiety level for first-year students, and then take it up another notch for First Nations Métis and Inuit (FNMI) students, who also face cultural challenges.

Enter the First Nations Transition Program (FNTP) and Professional Librarian Andrea Glover, who navigates the sometimes murky waters of understanding with her Library Science 0500 course.

"I just remember my sister coming home and always saying her Library Science instructor was so cool," second-year student Sheena Tail Feathers says. "And she was right, she is cool. One of the things I loved about the class is she never makes it boring and I always looked forward to going."

Glover has been teaching the course, required as part of the FNTP program, since its inception five years ago, and although she initially had some worries about the concept of singling out FNMI students, she has seen how well it aids their introduction to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ lifestyle.

"The more I looked at it, this was a really good concept," says Glover. "You have them start together and then gradually move out and move on to be a part of the greater ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ population.
"The most important thing for me is to make sure they are comfortable and while that's important for every student, there's a cultural gap they must also cross and if we can help them with that, they'll be much more successful."

The course benefits not only the students but also the instructor.

"As a non-native instructor, I must cross the cultural gap as well to do right by these students, and they help me with that learning process every time I step into the classroom."

Tail Feathers' older sister Nicole advanced through the program first. A
Native American Studies and Kinesiology major, she's set to graduate in this month's Fall Convocation. Sheena is taking the same path and is already off to a solid start.

"I didn't know anything about the library and didn't really understand all that it could do for you," she says.
"Andrea's shown us how to use the web page, how to search for books, use e-reference, pretty much anything you can do here. Basically, I know how to research thanks to the course."

Of course Glover is just the facilitator in this process. Her use of humour, experience teaching FNMI students and enthusiasm for her subject matter are all useful teaching tools but it's up to the students to make the most of her lessons.

"She can get us started and give us all the information we need but it's up to us to actually apply it," Sheena, who came to the U of L from Lethbridge College, says. "The university life is so much different than college because here, nobody is going to tell you to go to class or to do your homework, it's all up to you. The way I look at it, this is my opportunity to try hard and get it right the first time."

Glover says she knows she's made an impact when she sees her students often, meaning they are actively using the library. Her greatest success is still in the works.

"I would absolutely love it if one of my students would get their master's degree in Library Science one day and come back to take over my role in this program," she says. "An FNMI librarian teaching this course would be wonderful – but not until I retire!"

The power of language

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:25:54 +0000

For Glenna Westwood (BA '84), proclaiming the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as a culturally diverse campus is literally, just lip service.

By initiating the establishment of foreign language conversation groups, Westwood is helping to foster relationships at the most basic of levels – communication.

"It's not just an opportunity for students to learn and to help them with their studies, it's community-building, a good social exercise as well," says Westwood, the library's Fine Arts librarian and modern languages buff.

The project invites students, staff and faculty to meet in the library on a weekly basis to simply converse in either French or Spanish. When it debuted last fall, a Japanese component was also included.

"We're here not to just support students who are writing a research paper for their professor," says Westwood about her role as a professional librarian. "They have other learning needs and goals and I've always tried to anticipate what those needs might be and then fulfill them.
"I try to ask myself, what can we do for students apart from providing these scholarly resources?"

Her interest in language is well earned and the idea for the conversation groups was born out of a study leave she took to Mexico five years ago. While there, Westwood studied Spanish by immersing herself in the language. She enrolled in a language school with a library in a small Mexican town. Journaling her experiences, she studied what kind of library resources she used to support her learning, then returned a year later to conduct a survey and compile results for a paper she then presented at a conference in Australia. Conversation groups were a part of the informal curriculum, and she facilitated an English group while also participating in a Spanish group.

"My goal that semester was language facility," she says. "I was interested in sitting in that space, seeing what kinds of resources I used and watching the other students and seeing what resources they used. As a language librarian, I was then able to share that new knowledge with the broader professional community."

It was the kind of information she could bring back to the U of L to help her create a better learning environment for the many modern language students on campus. It was more than that though; it also provided her with an opportunity to use the library as more than a research destination but also a community space.

With assistance from the International Centre for Students as well as the Faculty of Management, Westwood recruited students as volunteer hosts of the conversation groups. After that, it was a matter of opening the doors and letting the program evolve in whatever direction it took.

"I don't participate in the actual groups, I just facilitate them and whatever experiences they have, they have," she says.
"I would say it's been a success. Really, even if just one student comes it's a success, and it's something that I want to continue."

GET THE FACTS

• Westwood has worked in the U of L Library since 1992, and was the science librarian before getting back to her roots in the fine arts and languages

• She graduated from the U of L with a BASC (Dramatic Arts) degree in 1984, then earned her Masters in Library Science from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia in 1987

• Westwood chose French, Spanish and Japanese for the conversation groups because they are languages offered as part of the U of L's Modern Languages program

• Conversation groups are open to all students, staff and faculty. Contact Westwood at glenna.westwood@uleth.ca to participate

Special Collections offer a rare look at the past

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:18:01 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library maintains a small assortment of books, periodicals, pamphlets and maps in a collection that is usually designated in Academic Libraries as "Special Collections".

It includes rare and antiquarian books as well as a collection of local histories, the print edition of the Lethbridge Herald from 1919-1955 and other titles deemed special for reasons ranging from age and condition to edition, uniqueness, and format. While the value of items plays a key role in their candidacy for inclusion, it is only one of many criteria considered.

Currently, there are about 773 titles in our Special Collections that are housed in Room L1172C of the Library. Although available for private research and reading in the adjacent reading room (L1172A), this is a non-circulating collection.

Decisions regarding the inclusion of material into special collections are made in collaboration with the subject librarians. Many items in the collection provide examples of printing and publishing over the past 400 years.

Our oldest tome is the 9th edition of Saint Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica from 1610 in Latin. Other items include a hornbook from the early 19th century, A History of Florence in Italian from 1764, Volume I of Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the World from 1634, and a collection of works from Charles Dickens from the mid-19th century.

The original mandate of the Special Collections was twofold. First of all, it was to try and keep a copy of everything published about Lethbridge and the surrounding area in an environment that would lend itself to conservation and preservation. Secondly, it provides a safe haven for those items from our collection that require special care.

The collection room is dark and cool, with restricted access – three elements that help in preserving and protecting these valuable items.

Historically, the collection has been built from either donations or materials culled from our open stacks. The materials concentrating on southern Alberta in general and Lethbridge in particular are purchased from our regular subject budgets and a copy is usually placed in Special Collections to ensure long-term access.
The entire collection is accessible through the library catalogue. If you would like to peruse any titles in this collection please ask at the Information and Reference Assistance Desk inside the Library's entrance.

Mike Perry is a professional librarian in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library

UNews - professional librarian

Look for new version of LibQUAL+ Survey

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