PurposeDuring Spring semester 2005, budgetary constraints, personnel reductions, and questions of efficacy challenged librarians at the University of Arizona to develop more integrated methods for assisting faculty, instructors, and students in teaching and learning information literacy skills. In order to meet this challenge, University of Arizona librarians collaborated with the University's English Composition Program to develop an instructor‐led, librarian facilitated approach to integrating information literacy instruction into the English Composition curriculum. This was a natural fit because there are fundamental similarities between the educational goals of the English Composition Program and the outcomes espoused by the Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. The approach that the University of Arizona Library has developed is described in the following pages in the hopes that it can serve to assist librarians elsewhere in developing their own responses to similar challenges.Design/methodology/approachA discussion of the development process as well as information gleaned from interviewing and surveying English composition instructors is presented.FindingsThe development process of the approach is described in detail, and the overall efficacy of the approach is addressed.Practical implicationsThe approach to integrating information literacy skills into the University of Arizona English Composition Curriculum is presented in order to provide guidelines and practical assistance to librarians facing similar challenges.Originality/valueThis paper describes and addresses the benefits and challenges of moving towards more blended forms of instruction and library information literacy skills integration.
The intent of this study was to evaluate the Guide on the Side (GotS), an online learning tool developed by the University of Arizona Libraries, and a screencast tutorial for teaching information literacy and database searching skills. Ninety undergraduate students were randomly assigned into three groups: group 1 completed a GotS tutorial; group 2 viewed a screencast presenting identical content; and a control group. Each group completed an identical 16-item post-test. An analysis of variance revealed statistically significant differences between the control group and both treatment groups; however, there was no statistical difference between treatment groups. Limitations of the study and future research areas are also discussed.
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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and rationale for the creation of a scalable approach to online database instruction. Design/methodology/approach -The paper discusses the pedagogical, organizational, and technological considerations for developing an interactive, online tutorial that can be used by librarians for database instruction. Findings -Database instruction during one-shot library sessions is a cornerstone of information literacy programs, but with a move to online instruction, it has not been clear how to replicate many of the pedagogical advantages that take place in a face-to-face environment. Librarians along with programmers have developed a new type of scalable and pedagogically-sound interactive tutorial. Originality/value -The paper provides librarians with a history of the development of a tutorial that has been released as open-source software program that can be easily modified by other libraries.
This article describes how the University of Arizona (UA) Libraries implemented a project management process to address the increasing need to be more efficient and effective in initiating and completing projects, and to manage the changing and complex nature of the Libraries' work. The Libraries identified the Brigham Young University (BYU) Project Planning and Management process as a method that would help the organization define, plan, execute, and complete its projects effectively and efficiently. An overview of the BYU project management method, as adapted and implemented by the UA Libraries, and a description of portfolio management, project management, product management, and roadmaps, are provided.
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