Redesigning library orientation for first-year medical students during the pandemic

Abstract

Background: Prior to 2020, library orientation for first-year medical students at Weill Cornell Medicine took the form of an on-site treasure hunt competition. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the orientation for the MD class of 2024 was shifted to an all-virtual format. This shift mandated a full redesign of the library orientation.Case Presentation: The Samuel J. Wood Library sought to preserve the excitement and fun of the treasure hunt in the new virtual format. The competition was redesigned as a Zoom meeting using breakout rooms, with library faculty and staff serving as team facilitators. Tasks were rewritten, shifting the focus from the library’s physical spaces to its virtual services and online resources. The redesigned orientation was evaluated using two data sources: a postsession survey of student participants and a debriefing of the library employees who participated. Student evaluations were positive, while the faculty and staff provided numerous suggestions for improving future virtual orientations.Conclusions: A successful virtual library orientation requires careful preparation, including testing the competition tasks, full rehearsal with library facilitators, and a thoughtful approach to technology and logistics. We have chosen to share the materials we developed for other academic health sciences libraries that may wish to take a similar approach to their own virtual orientations.

Health sciences librarian research and instruction services in pandemic information environments

“…Several studies highlight the important role of academic health sciences librarians in providing COVID-related information during the earlier days of the pandemic, such as collaborating with health care providers to collate relevant resources, curating up-to-date COVID-19 guides, and offering reference support to answer questions about treatments, precautions, and vaccines ( Charbonneau & Vardell, 2022 ; Clifton et al, 2021 ; Yu & Mani, 2020 ). A few studies explored the impact of COVID-19 specifically on academic health sciences library instruction services, focusing on the shift to online instruction ( Hickner et al, 2021 ; Patterson & Hull, 2021 ; Shin et al, 2021 ). While these examples from the extant literature largely describe how either an individual library or a group of regional academic libraries provided services during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Gotschall et al, 2021 ; Howes et al, 2021 ; Koos et al, 2021 ; Lindsay et al, 2021 ; Mazure et al, 2021 ; Sullo & Brody, 2021 ), more research is needed to specifically document how academic health sciences librarians nationwide across the United States (U.S.) adapted research support and instruction services for their respective communities during this time of crises.…”

“…Additional instructional changes have been reported as case studies, including librarians at Cornell Medical College who redesigned first-year medical student library orientation sessions to be held via Zoom rather than in person, modifying their treasure hunt format to the virtual setting ( Hickner et al, 2021 ). Patterson and Hull (2021) at the University of Utah expanded their multimedia studio to include a podcasting suite designed to assist faculty who are transitioning to audio-based asynchronous learning.…”

Using a digital escape room to engage first year pre-registration nursing students in evidence-based practice learning: a case study

“…Saltz and Heckman (2020) also highlight the difficulty of monitoring, at a higher level, multiple digital rooms compared to one face-to-face classroom. Hickner et al, (2021) on the other hand, who also transitioned from a physical to DER found that marginally more students reported the DER as more fun but that the competitive elements caused a loss in immersion. Hickner et al (2021) maintained the teamwork aspect online by using Zoom breakout rooms, whilst Ang et al (2020) reverted to individual work.…”

Health sciences library workshops in the COVID era: librarian perceptions and decision making

“…While online offerings are not new, the COVID-19 pandemic created an environment where virtual instruction was the only available avenue for educational programming. Librarians had to quickly learn how to provide content that they may have previously offered only in the physical classroom, including deciding whether they could or should move this content online [13][14][15][16].…”