This paper reports on an evaluation project conducted at the University of Melbourne during 2002. The objective of the project was to evaluate selected information literacy programs that were provided to students in the Arts Faculty. The three programs that were evaluated used different modes of delivery. The paper discusses the rationale of the project, the methodology and the results of the evaluation.
This article reports on a study we conducted with first-year students in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne in 2003. Building upon our 2002 research (Library Review, 2003, vol 52, nº5 pp209-217), we investigated the prior library instruction, information preferences and skills of students enrolled in first-year subjects in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne. Our article reflects on how this investigation has broadened our understanding of the information literacy (IL) knowledge and prior experience of entry-level students at university. It considers the implications that the results of our study have for 'teaching librarians' and attempts to answer questions about how we can better assist students to build upon what they already know.
In response to changing pedagogical theory and practice in higher education, library designers have created innovative learning spaces that support informal learning outside the classroom. Informed by social constructivist theory, libraries can be justly proud of their new collaborative learning spaces that support interaction and discussion; social spaces that foster engagement and learning; as well as quiet places for independent study. The University of Melbourne Library is no exception, carrying out a program of works since 2007 to create dynamic and innovative spaces to support contemporary student learning in four successive library refurbishment projects. Although much attention has been paid to redeveloping student spaces in libraries, less attention has been paid to the interrelationship between library spaces and services and how this interrelationship and the pedagogical framework should jointly inform these redevelopments. It seems incongruous to redevelop student spaces to meet new pedagogical imperatives without rethinking the service experience, in particular the relationship between library staff and students, the model of service provision and the physical design of the service area. This paper focuses on the development of a new service model that is specifically designed to meet the needs of contemporary users at the University of Melbourne Library. In particular, the paper reflects upon the way in which the service desk has been transformed from a forbidding counterstyle barrier that formalised the traditional expert/student relationship to a service area where librarians stand side by side with patrons, where the emphasis is on partnering and collaborating with students and researchers. The development of this model represents an attempt to re-define the relationship between librarians and students in line with current pedagogical practice. Underpinning this service model is a complex program of workforce change, professional development and service refinement to ensure that staff at service points are able to deliver quality services that meet students' changing information needs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.