INFORMATION AND LIBRARY SERVICES

The UMUC Information and Library Services Newsletter

From Stephen Miller 
Associate Provost, Information and Library Services

We at Information and Library Services extend best wishes to all new and returning students, faculty, and staff as you begin the fall semester at UMUC. Please take a look at the latest issue of our online newsletter for information regarding updates to our electronic resources collection, ILS presentations at regional and national conferences, workshops, customized course guides, and more.

Be sure to take advantage of our resources and services to meet your academic needs. We are available 24/7 for help and research assistance via chat and email. In-person and telephone assistance are available at our Adelphi location during regularly scheduled business hours. Instant messaging for quick library-related questions is available during selected hours from the Ask a Librarian page and through our subject guides. We also offer weekend walk-in and telephone research assistance at our office in the McKeldin library on the University of Maryland College Park campus.

Faculty--please avail yourselves of the library's liaison program and course-related library instruction!

We welcome all comments and suggestions as we strive to provide you with the best library resources and services possible.

All the best for the fall!

Top

Electronic Resources News

Just a reminder that as of July 1 ILS made changes to our electronic resources. Please see Electronic Resources Changes Taking Effect July 1 for FY10 for more information.

Research Starters – Sociology – Free trial is available until June 30, 2010!

This resource includes sociology related topic overviews, relevant to key areas of academic study, including links to key articles in associated EBSCOhost databases. A good place to begin your sociology or related research – give it a try and let us know what you think!

Enhancements to our Resources

1. Gale PowerSearch – lets you search an individual InfoTrac resource or cross-search content in multiple Gale databases. This resource now features a new interface that offers simplified browsing and a more Weblike experience.
2. Project Muse – now you can search individual journals and view abstracts summarizing each article.
3. ScienceDirect – the default "sort by" in Search Results has changed from "Date" to "Relevance", which means that you will see the results that best match the terms and criteria set in your search results, rather than the most recent results.

Top

Love Your Librarian? Nominate Him or Her for the I Love My Librarian Award!

Does a certain UMUC librarian consistently go the extra mile for you, perhaps helping your students navigate library resources, assisting you with your research needs, or finding that perfect article? Why not nominate your favorite librarian for the 2009 Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award?   

This award, administered by the American Library Association’s Public Information Office and Campaign for America’s Libraries, recognizes the accomplishments and contributions of librarians in both the public and academic sectors. A total of 10 librarians will be selected, and each will receive $5,000, a plaque, and travel expenses to attend the awards ceremony to be held in New York in December. The library of each of the award winners will also receive a plaque.

Nominating your librarian is a wonderful way to bring recognition to Information and Library Services—as well as UMUC as a whole! Please show your support by nominating a librarian on the Nominate Your College, Community College or University Librarian form today! Thank you!

Top

Information and Library Services Presents at National and Regional Conferences

American Library Association Annual Conference 2009 Pre-conference

In February 2008, librarians nationwide were invited to submit a proposal to the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to present a pre-conference at the July 2009 ALA Annual Conference to be held in Chicago.

The ACRL represents more than 13,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. It is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products, and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning, and research environments (personal communication, February 4, 2008).

Librarians Barb Mann (Assistant Director for Public Services), Megan Davis (Reference and Instruction Librarian and Regional Services Liaison), Robert Miller (Reference and Instruction Librarian and Library Liaison for the Sciences and Center for Student Success), and Joe Rawson (24/7 Services Coordinator) submitted a proposal entitled The Not-So-Distant Librarian: Online Library Instruction to Engage Students and Faculty.  This proposal included pre-conference learning outcomes, an outline of the pre-conference content, and a hands-on learning activity for the participants.

In July 2008 we received notification that our pre-conference proposal was one of three chosen out of numerous submissions. After nearly a year's preparation, the pre-conference was given on July 10, 2009.

After an “ice breaker” in which participants were asked to discuss their own experiences and what they saw as possibilities and drawbacks to online library instruction, the three presenters, Barb Mann, Megan Davis, and Joe Rawson (Robert Miller was unable to attend) provided an overview of UMUC and its library instruction program.

During the pre-conference the presenters discussed ILS online instruction techniques, lessons learned, and demonstrated the online instruction model. This model

• Meets established learning objectives
• Meets the needs of various learning styles, with text, graphics, and multi-media
• Teaches information literacy and critical thinking skills
• Adapts readily to specific class topics, from anthropology to business and more
• Encourages interaction between librarians, students, and faculty
• Incorporates active learning exercises and accompanying feedback to reinforce the learning
• Provides assessment opportunities

In addition, the presenters discussed ways to encourage faculty buy-in as well as training and software needs to optimize content creation and delivery.

The 48 participants (the registration limit) were very engaged in the discussion and hands-on activity. The presenters fielded numerous thought-provoking questions, and comments received about the experience were extremely positive. During the hands-on portion of the workshop in which participants gathered in small groups to determine their own learning outcomes, as well as draft content and an active learning exercise, there was an energetic buzz in the room and excellent ideas were exchanged.

This pre-conference was also highlighted in the daily newspaper, Cognotes, published for the ALA Annual Conference attendees. Please see page three, “Collaboration is Key in Online Library Instruction” by Miranda Johnson.

College and Research Library Division of the Pennsylvania Library Association

Librarians Barb Mann and Robert Miller had an opportunity to present the pre-conference The Not-So-Distant Librarian: Online Library Instruction to Engage Students and Faculty on August 11 for 56 registrants at a program for the College and Research Library Division of the Pennsylvania Library Association. This program was held at the Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, PA. Once again, this information was enthusiastically received and participants were engaged in the presentation and hands-on opportunity.

ILS Presents on the Future of Library Instruction at George Washington University’s Gelman Library

Reference and Instruction Librarians Ed O’Donnell and Cynthia Thomes presented at the Future of Instruction Workshop, held July 23, 2009, at George Washington University’s Gelman Library in Washington, DC. The workshop, coordinated by David Ettinger, International Affairs and Political Science Librarian at Gelman, included discussions and presentations on trends and developments in library instruction.

For their presentation, Ms. Thomes and Mr. O’Donnell showcased the following methods and practices that have proven especially effective at UMUC:

• Short multimedia tutorials inserted into online library conferences and made available on the ILS Web site. These tutorials serve to further reinforce the learning of research skills and meet various learning styles.
• Online faculty workshops to promote information literacy integration into course curricula; these familiarize participants with ILS resources and services that can be used in assignment design.
• ILS involvement in online student clubs to promote information literacy and demonstrate the transferability of research skills.
• Library modules and tutorial quizzes inserted into all sections of a required introductory management class in order to provide a framework and reinforcement of the research process.
• Using Wimba software to offer synchronous instruction online and provide a sense of connection and interaction in the virtual environment.

The presentation was well-received by the 30 workshop participants.

It has indeed been a busy summer for Information and Library Services librarians, but these presentations have afforded ILS a variety of opportunities to collaborate and share instruction techniques with other library professionals, both nationally and regionally.

Top

Information Literacy in the Social Sciences Online Workshop

ILS, in conjunction with the Center for Teaching and Learning, has completed its second online workshop on Information Literacy in the Social Sciences, with ten faculty members participating from June 7 to June 18. Dr. Darlene Smucny, Academic Director for the Social Sciences, co-facilitated the workshop with Reference and Instruction Librarian Robert Miller, the library’s liaison to the School of Undergraduate Studies’ Social, Behavioral, Natural, and Mathematical Sciences Department.

Workshop participants came from various programs, including sociology, anthropology, business, and emergency management. Each participant explored and discussed UMUC’s information literacy goals for undergraduates. Information literacy empowers lifelong learners to find, evaluate, and use information efficiently, effectively, legally, and ethically not only in the classroom, but also at work and in their personal lives.

To help their students learn information literacy skills, participants in the workshop explored and discussed:

• Integrating information literacy into the social sciences curriculum
• Helping students use the library’s social sciences databases
• Teaching students to critically evaluate social sciences information on the free Web
• Designing assignments that go beyond the traditional research paper

Each workshop participant created an assignment incorporating information literacy goals. Participants then critiqued each others’ assignments in a supportive, collegial atmosphere. Overall, the workshop raised faculty awareness of library resources, enabling instructors to help their students conduct better research and write better papers.

Similar workshops are planned for the future. If you are interested in an information literacy workshop for your department, please contact the library.

Top

ILS’s Online Tutorial Secrets of My Research Success Awarded Peer-Reviewed Status

Information and Library Services’ online tutorial Secrets of My Research Success was recently accepted into the highly-selective Peer-Reviewed Instructional Materials Online (PRIMO) project and added to the PRIMO database.  PRIMO is administered by the American Library Association (ALA)/Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Instruction Section. The ILS tutorial is now displaying the PRIMO logo to designate it as peer-reviewed.

Secrets of My Research Success is a 35-minute interactive tutorial modeling the research process and transferability of library research skills via the story of “Quentin,” a UMUC student who is also a full-time employee with a real-life research need. The tutorial takes Quentin through the research process as he interacts with “Mike,” a UMUC librarian. Each of the tutorial modules includes opportunities for learning reinforcement via interactive learning activities. There is also a final assessment quiz, and course instructors can add the tutorial to their Web Tycho classroom and have the final assessment scores automatically e-mailed to them. Instructions for faculty are included on the tutorial web page.

Recognition by PRIMO is indeed a great honor for ILS. Stay tuned for a sequel to the tutorial, in which Quentin is taken through the steps of avoiding plagiarism and citing his sources.

Top

For Your Information...

McKeldin Library Office Hours

Research continues to be available to UMUC students, faculty, and staff in the ILS office in McKeldin Library, Room 6259. Normal hours are:

• Saturday: 10am-6pm
• Sunday: Noon-8pm

Need to find us? Please visit Locations and Hours for more information.

Appointments

An appointment may be made to meet with an ILS librarian in the ILS library at the Student Faculty Services Center, at McKeldin library, or at the Dorsey Station library at other times using our Request an Appointment form.

Top

Faculty Corner

Customized Course Guides Now Available

UMUC librarians can create customized, online guides linking your students to relevant library databases, books, Web sites, and other multimedia resources that will be helpful to them in completing their course assignments. Course guides can be designed to focus on a specific assignment, a group of assignments, or on a broader topic covered in your class. To see examples of guides that are already available please visit the library's Course Guides page. Guides can also be created to meet the needs of special events.

To request that a guide be developed for your course, please contact your department’s library liaison or e-mail the library.  We look forward to working with you!

Library Liaisons

Information and Library Services provides library liaison services to UMUC faculty. We welcome the opportunity to work closely with faculty to provide tailored library services to individual classes, whether it be visiting your online or face-to-face class, assisting in adding information literacy components to specific course assignments or projects, or providing handouts or online resources customized to your discipline or current course topic. Keep the liaison librarians in mind when you have library related questions, need extra help with research, or need instruction on how to use our resources.

GSMT

• Julie Arnold
  GSMT: Information and Technology Systems, Teacher Education
  
  
• Cynthia Thomes
  GSMT: Business and Executive Programs; Management, Accounting, and Finance

SUS

• Barb Mann
  SUS: Department of Communication, Arts, and Humanities (COMM)
  
  
• Robert Miller
  SUS: Department of Social, Behavioral, Natural, and Mathematical Sciences (SCIP) and the Center for Student Success
  
  
• Ed O'Donnell
  SUS: Department of Business and Professional Programs (BAPP)
  
  
• Ryan Shepard
  SUS: Department of Computer Information Systems and Technology (CITE); areas that were formerly Department of Professional Practice: Criminal Justice, Fire  Science, Legal Studies (Note: These are now under BAPP, but Ryan Shepard still covers them.)

Instruction

As the Fall 2009 semester begins, Information and Library Services librarians look forward to working with you and your classes, either via Web Tycho or on-site, in the provision of library resources instruction. The transferable skill building and concept understanding that librarians offer in these sessions provide both a deeper comprehension and comfort level for your students in locating, evaluating, and using information relevant to their studies. This preparation and reinforcement will hold your students in good stead as they deal with the vast amount of available information during their academic careers and as productive employees and citizens. Please complete the Faculty Request for Library Instruction form to schedule one or more sessions for your classes.

Questions? Comments? Need more information? Please contact Barb Mann, Assistant Director for Public Services, or Information and Library Services.

We look forward to working with you!

Top

Hot Sites... Health and Medicine

When researching health-related topics, you should refer to only the most trustworthy and authoritative sources. These sites can help you find information on that most important of subjects--your health!

Mayo Clinic
More than 3,300 physicians, scientists, and researchers from Mayo Clinic share their expertise, empowering you to manage your health. The site includes a comprehensive guide on over hundreds of diseases and conditions, symptoms, drugs, tests, and healthy living.

MedicineNet
Part of the WebMD Network, MedicineNet provides easy-to-read, in-depth, authoritative medical information for consumers. The MedicineNet.com team of experts in the fields of medicine, healthcare, Internet technology, and business provides comprehensive healthcare information.

PBS Science: Health and Medicine
This Web site, provided by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), is home to more than 350 television show companion sites in addition to Web-original sites. The site features a section for educators with hundreds of lessons and activities related to health and medicine.

Science Daily: Health and Medicine News
Medical Research News. The site has the latest health news on everything from cancer to nutrition. The full-text articles and images are updated daily, and the site also includes videos and book reviews.

For additional Web sites on Health and Medicine, see the library's Subject Guide to Health and Medicine Resources.

Top