Developing an Online Presence Liaison/Subject Librarians’ Workshop 2009

Why develop our online presence? Increase student access to library resources Increase the profile of librarians Strengthen connections b/w librarians and teaching staff Contribute to student success

Students as researchers Students are comfortable in online environment Feel proficient in exploring confidently across a range of resources Finding scholarly, authoritative information is still a challenge Have favourite, but limited sources of information

Implications – or the rise…and fall and rise of the library website Librarians see the library website as pivotal But the Library website is often not used as a starting point for research Tide is changing as libraries improve their websites, and some research is now indicating that students and staff place great value on the library website

3 ways to Increase our online Profile Improve our websites Become embedded librarians Take Subject Guides to a higher plane

Improve our Websites Usability principles Interactivity Connect users to content - and to do it with minimum barriers and maximum speed and ease Web 2.0 applications – some examples:

is where the students are becomes an integral part of the class experiences the needs of students and observes expectations of faculty (Dewey as cited in Bozeman, 2008, p. 57). is in the right place to guide students to the best resources The Embedded Librarian

How to become ‘embedded’ Become a ‘participant’ in online classes that use courseware such as Moodle Establish a hyper link to the library website from the course page Set up a Library discussion forum on the course page Access class s and respond promptly to library and information related requests Provide a link to existing Information Literacy modules Provide full contact details

How to get embedded contd? Use courseware tools, such as Web templates to create a new subject guide or link an existing guide to the appropriate course.

Think strategically! Link to library and/or institutional plans Ensure sufficient ongoing resources Buy in from the top Library rep on courseware committee Familiarity with course management software Accept responsibility Sell it to faculty –it will make their lives easier and save them time Success Factors

Subject Guides Aka Research guides, research tools, pathfinders, e- guides, resource lists…etc. Provide a starting point for researcher But do we really need them? Time consuming to create and maintain Duplication across the Internet

Subject Guides Potentially offer a unique tool to students Bring content closer The creator becomes more familiar with subject area

Subject Guides Wikis – collaborative, easy to use, need to get people to participate, high levels of maintenance /index.php/Main_Page

Successful Subject Guides Student prefer customised course and assessment guides over broad subject guides Link from course pages or integrate into course

Fraction of a Whole Still reaching only a limited number of students Level and style of engagement with online environment differs Need a variety of other methods to provide access to information and help with research skills.

Planning, planning, planning Web 2.0 tools—such as Meebo chat widgets, delicious.com, subject guides, and Facebook pages—are tools like any other, requiring planning and dedicated staff time as much as anything else in a library's service arsenal.

Reference List Bell, S. (2009, February 17). The library web site of the future. Inside Higher Ed, Retrieved 8 April 2009, from Bozeman, D. (2008). Providing services to online students: Embedded librarians and access to resources. Mississippi Libraries 72 (3), Corrado, E. M. & Frededrick, K. A. (2008). Free and open source options for creating database-driven subject guides. The Code4Lib Journal (2), Retrieved 8 April 2009, from Kroski, E. (2007). A Librarian’s Guide to Creating 2.0 Subject Guides. Retrieved 14 April 2009, from Shank, J. & Bell, S. (2009). A-FLIP to Courseware: A strategic alliance for improving student learning outcomes. nnovate 2 (4). Retrieved 8 May 2009, from Tchangalova, N., & Feigley, A. (2008). Subject guides: Putting a new spin on an old concept. Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship 9 (3). Retrieved 8 April 2009, from