The first year library research experience at New York University-Shanghai: Cultural challenges and learning opportunities in China

Abstract

T hroughout the very first academic year (2013-2014), the librarians at New York University (NYU)-Shanghai played a critical role in collaborating with the Writing Department to teach all 300 first-year students about conducting library research for a seminar called "Global Perspectives on Society (GPS)." 1 From the librarians' perspectives, it is not surprising to find that the 150 international students, including Americans, Europeans and South Asians, had less difficulty in conducting library research in comparison to the 150 Chinese students who were not familiar with "library research" and "academic integrity." 2 Teaching all 300 students and customizing two instructional services programs became an interesting challenge and a great learning opportunity to note the key differences between the two groups. After reaching out to all 300 students, the librarians hosted a writing faculty social to debrief and gather information from the faculty members' perspective. Overall, the feedback was very useful, some of which will be shared in this article. This article explores the librarians' role as a collaborator with the Writing Department in this international context. To better understand the dynamics of internationalism and multiculturalism in the classroom from the librarian's perspective, we will note the observations, strategies, opportunities, and challenges in teaching and engaging with this diverse body, particularly Chinese students at NYU-Shanghai.

The Social Mission of Academic Libraries in Higher Education

“…US librarians have responded to the first-year experience (FYE) movement in the sector both by participating in institutional activities (such as orientation, first-year seminars and learning communities) and by developing their own customised programs, including provision for early-college high-school students, first-generation students, ESOL/international students and leisure book clubs. They have formed FYE interest groups within professional associations (ACRL, RUSA) and created specialist roles in libraries such as First-Year and Personal Librarians to extend and strengthen their contributions (Moniz & Moats 2014;Pun & Houlihan 2017). Burhanna and Jensen (2006, p. 510) note such positions have strategic significance in 'making a strong institutional commitment to the first-year success of students and the library's role in this success'.…”

The library and the academic resource center

“…In the very first year, the librarians collaborated with writing faculty to design learning outcomes, assignments and workshops to support all first-year students and their research needs. For the second year, spring 2015, the library and writing faculty decided to include the writing GAFs in the first-year library's instruction program (Pun and Ge, 2015). In this case study, an overview of the collaboration between the library and the ARC to support instructional services to first-year students will be discussed and the opportunities and challenges of this collaboration will be explored.…”