Putting 2 and 2 together and making 5 How the Hybrid Library adds value to student learning in a Vir

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Putting 2 and 2 together and making 5?How the
Hybrid Library adds value to student learning in
a Virtual Learning Environment

• Claire Ryan
• Hybrid Library Project Officer
• Inspiral Workshop, 4th September 2001

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Aim of the Project

• To explore how the integration of learning
  resources - especially library and information
  resources - into a managed learning environment
  can give added value to student learning

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Objectives

• To develop a prototype which is size-
  feature-scaleable
• To explore which resources and approaches best
  met students needs
• To assess the impact on existing library services
• To evaluate the impact of this initiative on
  student learning

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Guidelines for development

• Work with 5 modules (585 students) during 1
  academic year
• Liaise closely with academic staff
• Locate the project within the natural learning
  environment of each user
• Make best use of existing technologies
• Test new technology which will give significant
  added value

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The situation at Leeds

• 2 VLEs
• Nathan Bodington Building
• Virtual Science Park
• Some departments using websites to deliver
  learning materials
• Library already had in place
• web-based delivery
• strong local infrastructure
• extensive subscriptions to external services

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Structure of the hybrid libraries

• Focused on core materials, i.e. reading list
• But in an open environment connecting to relevant
  local and national resources including RDN and
  DNER
• Support available - tutorials, contacts, email
  enquiry desk

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Resources included

• Reading lists (linked to full-text or catalogue)
• Digitised core reading
• Workbooks / Lecture notes
• Pre-defined catalogue searches
• Web-crawler index to selected web sites

• Library Catalogue
• Links to relevant databases and web-sites
• Ejournals
• Library tutorials
• Contact the Library

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Evaluation

• Questionnaire
• All students, All modules
• Focus Groups
• groups of 3-6 from Philosophy, Medicine and
  Business
• Semi-structured interviews with academics
• All academics involved in project

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Key results

• 79 of respondents used the facility
• 56 used the hybrid library more than the
  University Library 44 vice versa
• 86 thought the contents were relevant
• 46 thought it helped them make more efficient
  use of time
• 58 accessed from Library 61 from campus 27
  from home

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Usage/rating of resources by type

• Resource of respondents of respondents
• who used resource rating as useful
• Reading list 57 51
• Digitised readings
• (available 1 course only) 67 61
• Lecture notes / workbooks 50 58
• Library catalogue 35 34
• Databases / web sites 32 40
• Web crawler 22 17
• Contact info 15 27

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Student comments

• Very good idea
• Saved me so much time
• I was expecting full text
• Clearer directions for use would be appreciated
• Anyone competent on the Internet could achieve
  the same results
• Advertise it!

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Academic staff perceptions

• Reading list facility highly valued
• Digitised readings form important service for
  students
• Presence of essential resources makes students
  use and explore the Hybrid Library
• Often felt to have improved quality of learning

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General conclusions

• This approach is beneficial
• Increase in flexibility valued by students
• Importance of commitment from academics
• Importance of core materials
• Students do value and use an open environment if
  the course is oriented towards their use

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Our way forward

• Move steadily to mainstream service
• Focus on modules which
• have a strong research/study skills component
• register a large number of students
• contain distance learning elements
• already exploit the VLE environment

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and strategically

• Develop ways of quickly / automatically building
  new libraries
• Explore subject portals for specific groups
• Develop integrated links to national services and
  developments
• Press for development of institutional
  infrastructure (VLE, authentication, student
  portal)

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Further information

• A demo hybrid library can be viewed at
• http//www.fldu.leeds.ac.uk/opensite/nbodington/st
  udents/library/hylib/10105959/
• For further details, contact
• m.emly_at_leeds.ac.uk