The document summarizes efforts by the library director at Saint Xavier University to improve student research skills and engagement with the campus community through the use of new online tools. The library started using tutorials, social media like Twitter and Facebook, and a new search tool called WorldCat Local to make the research process easier for students and facilitate communication. Initial feedback indicates these new methods have been successful in helping students and engaging faculty, though the library will continue assessing their impact over time.

1. Planning and Implementing the Use of New Online Research and Networking Tools by Librarians at an American University to Improve Engagement with the Campus Community Mark A. Vargas Library Director Saint Xavier University Chicago, Illinois International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, 2009

2. Purpose of the Session Provide overview of the research skills of SXU students Explain how using new research and social networking tools helps raise information literacy and engage the campus community

3. What is the Current State of Information Literacy?

4. Research Skill = Information Literacy Ability to find, evaluate, and use information Understand the scholarly, peer-review process NOT computer literacy, NOT media dependent

5. Observations from the Library Limited awareness of the scholarly, peer-review process Perceived skills exceed capabilities Students have difficulties finding materials Total reliance on Google and Wikipedia

6. Librarians’ Perspective No chance for a library research course Limited role in general education classes

7. Where We Started Better Teaching Tools Better Comm. Tools Better Research Tools Faculty Outreach Information Literate Students

8. Basic Engagement Principles Stop trying to make students little librarians Reach them on their level Reach them using their tools Simplify, simplify, simplify

9. Faculty Outreach Better Teaching Tools Better Comm. Tools Better Research Tools Faculty Outreach Information Literate Students

10. Located the Team Players Group willing to work with the Library Reviewed results of the ICT exam Willing to experiment

11. ICT Compared Proficiencies Is not a computer-skills test SXU students performed well below the national average in three categories; just met average in the other categories

12. Major Environmental Changes Faculty learned in age of limited information Students have almost unlimited access to information Library has resources impossible to obtain just a few years ago

13. Common Problems… Library assignments often don’t have clear learning objectives Students don’t know why the assignment is made Assignments don’t match the research skills of the students Assignments are often too esoteric or too complex, especially for freshmen and sophomores

14. Better Teaching Tools Better Teaching Tools Better Comm. Tools Better Research Tools Faculty Outreach Information Literate Students

15. Library Tutorials using Adobe Captivate Built-in assessment Standardize instruction on scholarly, peer-review process Instruction as homework rather than in-class Reduce duplicate instruction; reach more students

16. Tutorial Interactivity Must engage students Students choose options, input data, make choices, take quizzes Must be completed by average student in about 15-20 minutes

17. Examples of Tutorials Scholarly, peer review sources Research v. review, abstracts, keywords Finding primary research materials Specialized nursing research Evaluating statistical data SWOT analyses

18. Feedback Students #1 question: why didn’t I get this sooner? Very helpful in understanding research concepts Faculty Useful as homework, less class time needed for library instruction

19. Better Communication Tools Better Teaching Tools Better Comm. Tools Better Research Tools Faculty Outreach Information Literate Students

21. Communication Through Their Tools Tried and dropped Ask Away Implemented Meebo chat service, Twitter, and Facebook, BookNews Experimenting with ConnectYard

22. Meebo Totally open, easy to use Instant chat Librarian on duty almost all hours the Library is open Wide variety of questions Tremendous success

23. 2nd most popular academic library Twitter site At least two updates daily Tiny URLs for bibliographies Facebook for engagement, not research Focus is on SXU students Twitter and Facebook

24. Electronic newsletters for new materials in many topic areas View, or email subscription, or get RSS feeds Patrons can leave comments Book & DVD News

25. Better Research Tools Better Teaching Tools Better Comm. Tools Better Research Tools Faculty Outreach Information Literate Students

26. Why Libraries Lost Virtual Patrons Traditional searching was too complex Too many choices (catalogs, databases) Too many different interfaces Many interfaces over designed Patrons naturally preferred less efficient but easier to use interface: Google, Bing, etc.

27. What SXU Library Wanted Easy to use Search tool that unified searching for any format Kept our ILL capabilities with the I-Share consortium

28. 1st Illinois library to implement Research tool that combines searching By format, including journal articles By location Full interlibrary loan function Saving to social network sites WorldCat Local

29. WorldCat Local Patrons do not have to choose databases or catalogs If SXU doesn’t have it, patrons can usually get it through ILL or purchase Allows patrons to locate, retrieve, share information seamlessly

30. Summary SXU Library is attempting to engage its patrons on their level, using their tools Are we successful? Anecdotally, yes. Over time, we will build quantifiable assessment measures to improve and expand our operations.