It is a challenge to get students engaged and interested during library orientations. The Cephalonian Method addresses this engagement problem by giving students a guided way to ask questions about the library and get answers. During a library session., the librarian distribute printed cards with questions about library topics such as materials, services, and facilities. The librarian asks students to use the library website to try and find the answer to their question. A few minutes later, the librarian calls on each student to read their card and describe how they answered the question. There are several benefits to this approach. Some of these benefits are giving the students ownership of learning about the library, giving students to chance to learn from each other, and minimizing librarian burnout.

1. BY NECIA WOLFF
BUSINESS & DISTANCE LEARNING
LIBRARIAN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
LOUIS J. BLUME LIBRARY
ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY
What is the Cephalonian Method?
Fostering Participation in Library Orientations

2. What are some problems with traditional
library orientation sessions?
 Difficult to gain and maintain student attention
 Predictable, rote presentations about the library
 Frequently boring for the students and the
librarian
 A way to address this issue…
use the Cephalonian method
Lightning Talk - Council of Research and Academic Libraries (CORAL) Fall Meeting Oct. 31, 2014

3. How do we use the Cephalonian Method?
 Create cards with questions
about the library’s materials,
services, and facilities
 Pass out cards during the
orientation
 Ask each student to research
the answer on the library
website
 The librarian calls on the
student to read their question,
give their answer, and
describe how they found the
answer
I need to find the article “Do
Customers and Employees Enjoy
Service Participation” from the
July 2012 issue of the Journal of
Marketing. Where do I look?
Does the Blume Library have
the movie, The Blind Side? If
so, where is it located? Explain
how you found the answer.
Lightning Talk - Council of Research and Academic Libraries (CORAL) Fall Meeting Oct. 31, 2014

4. When have we used the Cephalonian Method?
 With ND0101 – non-departmental class for new
freshman and transfer to learn about the University
 Greehey Scholar – four year academic scholarship
program in the School of Business
 In library instruction classes without a specific
research objective
Lightning Talk - Council of Research and Academic Libraries (CORAL) Fall Meeting Oct. 31, 2014

5. What did we experience using this method?
 Students were very willing to participate and were
visibly engaged by reading their question and
describing how they found the answer
 Other students would chime in if they knew an
answer that another student could not answer
 Learned about the strengths and weaknesses of our
website
 Receive enthusiastic feedback from instructors
Lightning Talk - Council of Research and Academic Libraries (CORAL) Fall Meeting Oct. 31, 2014

6. Where did we get the idea?
 First introduction via article
“MacEwan University Library’s
pedagogical shift: Using active
learning activities during first-
year information literacy
sessions” by Lisa Shamchuk and
Leah Plouffe. C&RL News.
October 2013
 Idea came from Davies and
Morgan at Cardiff University
 Based on hotel orientation
experience while on vacation to
the island of KefaloniaImage: Kefalonia by Visit Greece on Flickr under a Creative
Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Lightning Talk - Council of Research and Academic Libraries (CORAL) Fall Meeting Oct. 31, 2014

7. Questions?
Share your thoughts about this method.
 Has anyone else used it?
 Feedback or questions?
Thanks!
Lightning Talk - Council of Research and Academic Libraries (CORAL) Fall Meeting Oct. 31, 2014