Beyond research guidance: the Gateway Library Research Mentoring Program

Abstract

Provides an overview of a new information literacy initiative at the Penn State University’s Gateway Library. The Research Mentoring Program was designed to address the individual needs of academic library users who are inexperienced in the use of digital/electronic resources and require assistance in identifying, accessing and navigating the myriad digital/electronic resources for their research. Discusses the rationale for such programs, program objectives and activities undertaken to meet these objectives, and program outcomes.

PSU Gateway Library: electronic library in transition

“…The only requirement is for the students to have a real assignment or project that they are working on. (Moyo and Robinson, 2001)…”

Information and reference services in the digital library

“…It is still necessary for reference librarians to do frontline work, that is to say, human assistance is irreplaceable even in digital library services. Moya and Robinson found that the human element of the service makes the patrons more comfortable and confident with the technology [25].…”

Information literacy : how do librarians and academics work in partnership to deliver effective learning programmes?

“…While the over-riding goal of this programme is the development of information literacy skills for the students and their supervisors, other proposed outcomes include stronger partnerships, better student retention rates, as well as increased and faster course completion rates. A research-mentoring programme operates at Pennsylvania State University (Moyo & Robinson 2001), where librarians have found that although online tutorials, Webbased research guides, and virtual library instruction are available, there is still a real need for the human interface. This programme is primarily for undergraduate students, and returning adult students who need more assistance with electronic information resources, but any student who needs research guidance can sign up.…”

“…Breivik (2000) suggests that such teams can institute pedagogical change by working to develop programmes that shift the focus from lecturing to facilitating students' learning. Librarians working in the Library Research Mentoring Programme at Pennsylvania State University acknowledge that this type of teaching is intensive in terms of time and effort but are managing it by using a project driven model (Moyo & Robinson 2001).…”

“…One academic suggested establishing an individualised programme where students could sign on with a librarian and receive instruction at an appropriate level, and is available as the students need to move on in their information literacy development. Such research mentoring programmes are operating at Deakin University (Macauley 2001) and Pennsylvania State University (Moyo & Robinson 2001). Another academic recommended implementing a systematic method of developing students' information literacy over the four years of a bachelor degree by targeting a paper each year as the information literacy paper, which is a similar idea to the system of linked courses at the University of Washington (Wilson 2001).…”