Academic Libraries: Community Roles

1
Academic Libraries Community Roles
Responsibilities

• Brooke Andrade
• Paul Mascareñas
• Mary Walsh
• Adams State College
• April 30, 2008

2
Outline

• Grant overview
• Mobile Learning Center (MLC)
• Laptop Loan Program (LLP)
• Partnering w/ community
• Successful collaboration
• Other models

3
Grant Overview

• Mobile Learning Center
• 10 Dell laptops w/ backpacks
• Community outreach through teaching and
  technology exposure
• Laptop Loan Program
• In library-use only, for ASC students, faculty
  and staff
• Stored in locked laptop cart

4
Grant Overview

• Why did we want to do this?
• Mirroring other academic libraries
• Increase our relevance to the community
• ASC Mission Statement, to provide educational
  access and opportunity for success.
• Needed service at public libraries
• Wanted a laptop program for our library

5
Grant Overview

• Beginning the project
• Literature Review
• Advantages of using a laptop computer
• 93 of the countrys teenagers use the Internet
  (Rainie 2007)
• students must learn 21st-century skills, such
  as how to be responsible leaders in online
  communities, and how to construct effective
  digital portfolios (Borja 2006)

6
Grant Overview

• Literature review
• Technology in rural settings
• Statistics support the disparity between rural
  communities and their urban counterparts in
  connectivity. We found that rural Americans are
  lagging behind their rural competitors in Canada,
  Europe, and the industrial nations of Asia
  (Lloyd, 2007)

7
Grant Overview

• Literature review
• Defining community
• A group of people with diverse characteristics
  who are linked by social ties, share common
  perspectives, and engage in joint action in
  geographical locations or settings (Westney
  2006).

8
Grant Overview

• Community conversations
• Dialog with local librarians
• Collaboratively designed lesson plans for
  computer classes

9
Map of el Valle
10
Map of el Valle
11
Grant Overview

• Community needs assessment
• SLV community profile
• San Luis Valley Population 49,000
• 5 County region Alamosa County largest has
  average income 15K (20 below national poverty
  line)
• Student demographic reflect the community
  demographic
• Community Partnerships program

12
Grant Overview

• College / community profile
• High rate of first generation students
• 40 of high school graduates attend ASC
• Multi-generational Valley students
• 20 of 1st year students are developmental
  learners
• ASC generates 70 million for the SLV
• Hispanic Serving Institution

13
Grant Overview

• Program implementation
• LLP - Allow college students, faculty, and staff
  to check out laptops to use in the library
• MLC Provide information literacy sessions in
  public libraries schools
• Technology and information literacy skills
  including
• Microsoft Word, Basic Internet skills, Advanced
  Internet research, Consumer Health, Email,
  Microsoft Excel and more.
• Designed user guide (insert link)

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Grant Overview

• Accomplishments
• Created a new way to talk with the community
• Expanded educational opportunities
• Influenced student recruitment retention
• ASC has endeavored to recruit and retain minority
  students.
• From 2002 to 2005, the Hispanic graduation rate
  jumped from 15.5 to 51.9.
• Increased college presence with other libraries

15
Grant Overview

• Sessions in San Luis, Ft. Garland/Blanca,
  Alamosa, Conejos County Center
• Contacted other communities for future sessions
  La Jara, Del Norte, South Fork, Antonito
• 400 community members served

16
Grant Overview

• Helped students in a way beyond information
  literacy classes in our computer lab
• Used classed for advertising
• Laptops usage slowly increasing
• Has yet to fully take off, but suggestions were
  made and we plan to make this program more aware
  through advertising around campus better
• Over 100 hours of laptop use-not including
  renewals

17
Partnering with the Community

• Conditions necessary for success
• Need must exist in the community
• Community organizations must be willing to
  cooperate
• Resources must be available
• Administration must support the effort

18
Partnering with the Community

• Adams State College Nielsen Library Mission
  Statement
• acquire, maintain, and provide access to print
  materials, electronic resources, instruction, and
  facilities that serve ASC students, faculty, and
  staff and residents of the San Luis Valley.

19
Partnering with the Community

• Why partner with the community?
• To create a dialog with the community.
• The perception of non-affiliated community
  members is important, and it is wise for regional
  campus libraries to promote actively a positive
  image in the local community. (Schneider 2001)
• To stimulate intellectual and economic growth in
  the community.

20
Partnering with the Community

• Why partner with the community?
• To educate the future students of Adams State
  College by providing technology and information
  literacy skills to teachers and parents.

21
Partnering with the Community

• Why partner with the community?
• To lure potential donors to the academic library
• To support the institutional mission
• Participation in engagement and outreach
  programs helps address community needs but also
  provides career development incentives.
  (Malanchuck Ochoa 2005)

22
Partnering with the Community

• Why partner with the community?
• engages students, faculty members, university
  staff, and community partners in a process which
  combines community service and academic learning
  in order to promote civic participation, build
  community capacity, and enhance the educational
  process

23
Partnering with the Community

• Other models
• University of Buffalo Community Art Gallery
  partnered
• Library exhibits, books talks, teaching assistant
  workshops, multi-media kiosks
• ALOUD, The Academic Library Outreach Discussion
  Group
• Literacy programs designed to reach beyond their
  academic community

24
Partnering with the Community

• Other models on ASC campus
• Dr. John Taylor-Theater Professor applied for a
  grant through Endowment of the Arts-The Big Read
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was the book read
  by the whole community, book groups were
  implemented, theater productions, 1st Amendment
  panel, guest speakers, and live telephone
  conference with the author.

25
Successful Collaboration

• Steps for community partnerships
• Perform a needs assessment
• Focused dialog with the community
• Gain support from administration
• Obtain necessary resources
• Set boundaries

26
ReferencesCommunity Partnerships

• Borja, R. (2006). Researchers weigh benefits of
  one computer per lap Studies aim to determine
  the impact the technology has on student
  learning. Education Week, 25(36), 10. Retrieved
  from Academic Search Premier database.
• Bahr, A., Bolton, N. (2002). Share the
  experience Academic library, public library, and
  community partnerships. The Southeastern
  Librarian, 50(2), 26-32.
• Fabian, C., DAniello, C., Tysick, C., Morin,
  M. (2003). Multiple models for library outreach
  initiatives. The Reference Librarian, 82, 39-55.

27
ReferencesCommunity Partnerships

• Malanchuk, I., Ochoa, M. (2005). Academic
  librarians and outreach beyond the college
  campus. The Southeastern Librarian, 53(3), 23-29.
• Schneider, T. (2001). The regional campus library
  and service to the public. The Journal of
  Academic Librarianship, 27(2), 122-127.
• Villano, M. (2006). Teaming up to go 1-to-1
  Districts are discovering that the secret to
  implementing a good laptop program is finding a
  good partner. T H E Journal (Technological
  Horizons in Education), 33(14) 48-54. Retrieved
  from Academic OneFile database.

28
References Community Partnerships

• Wambach, C. (2006). From revolutionary to
  evolutionary 10 years of 1-to-1 computing
  laptop initiatives are now a decade old. Once a
  point of controversy, they have become the
  cornerstone of every districts technology hopes.
  T H E Journal (Technological Horizons in
  Education), 33(14), 58-60. Retrieved from
  Academic OneFile database.
• Westney, L. (2006). Conspicuous by their absence
  Academic librarians in the engaged university.
  Reference User Services Quarterly, 45(3),
  200-203.
• Wojtowicz, R. (2005). Academic librarians and
  outreach beyond the college campus. Southeastern
  Librarian, 53(3), 35-36.