Assumption Busters Learning What Students Really Need Judi Briden Digital Librarian for Public Servi

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Assumption BustersLearning What Students Really
NeedJudi BridenDigital Librarian for Public
Services

• March 14, 2008

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• Assumptions

• Our own experiences as college students still
  apply
• College students today . . .
• are highly adept at using many technologies
• are good at multitaskingits how they live and
  breathe
• stay up late and sleep late

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• More Assumptions

• College students today . . .
• are procrastinators and put off working on papers
  until the last minute
• dont evaluate resources they find
• are afraid to approach the reference desk
• feel rushed and think they dont have enough time
  to do their papers

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• More Assumptions

• College students today . . .
• learn all they need to know about doing library
  research in first-year writing classes
• carry laptops everywhere soon the library wont
  need banks of computers
• Librarians only know about books
• Our library has plenty of quiet places we
  simply need collaborative spaces

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Your Assumptions?
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• Background
• IMLS grant in 2003-2004 to study faculty work
  practices
• Libraries hired an anthropologist
• Used ethnographic methods
• Didnt want to stop when grant project ended

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• Question What do students really do when they
  write research papers?
• Formal project 2004 - 2006
• Interest much broader and continuing
• Improve reference services, facilities and web
  presence
• Some of our methods . . .

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• Retrospective interviews
• Recently completed papers
• From receiving the assignment to turning it in
• Each step illustrated on a poster
• Interviews video-recorded and transcribed

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• Data from the interviews
• Research team and librarians co-viewed videos,
  transcripts and drawings
• Co-viewing provided a shared experience for
  discussion and brainstorming
• Widespread staff participation

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What Did We Learn?

• Students . . .
• Worked on papers in chunks, with days or weeks in
  between
• Asked family and friends for help choosing a
  topic or editing their papers
• Assumed Google searches included the library
• Did evaluate resources just not by all the
  criteria librarians recommend
• Didnt remember who gave their library session

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Photographic Surveys
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Mapping Diaries
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Design Workshops

• Web page
• Warm-up exercise create a device . . .
• Mark-up our current homepage

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Design Workshops

• Library space
• Walk-in participation
• Imagine the library has a big, new, empty space .
  . .
• Nineteen designs
• Ideas carried over into actual library design for
  collaborative space

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Mahogany bookshelves, Old style lamps Nice cozy
feel
Computer Lounge with 802.11g WiFi With Nintendo
WiFi Connection
Movies and video games on big projection screen
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• Five areas of interest
• Flexibility to meet a variety of needs
• Comfort with family room feel and attention to
  environment
• Technology - computers, printers, scanners,
  whiteboards, mini Kinkos, chargers, etc.
• Staff support for checking things out, tech help,
  food, reference, writing
• Resources books, magazines, DVDs, reference
  books and popular reading

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Evening Interviews in Student Union
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What They Said

• Most cared about their papers and felt they had
  sufficient time to complete them
• Considered professors and TAs the subject
  experts
• Some problems organizing and writing knew about
  the college writing center
• Most used library catalog and databases, but
  equated librarians with books
• All expected to do well, or as well as needed

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Dorm Interviews
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Observations

• Stimulating - lots of distractions
• music
• video games
• people
• My room is your room
• Freshman vs. Upperclassman

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What are we doing differently?

• Gleason Library 24/7 collaborative space
• Night Owl reference during crunch times
• Parents Breakfast at Orientation
• Experimenting with BI sessions and sharing
  ideas/experiences
• Closer collaboration with Writing Center and
  University Information Technology

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Implications

• Understand how undergraduates live and work
• Understand their use of library
• High staff participation and engagement
• Our students are not your students!
• Try doing your own research
• Start small and develop staff expertise

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http//www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/downloadables
/Foster-Gibbons_cmpd.pdf
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http//tinyurl.com/f63dj