1. Using OneSearch Librarians Need to Stop Worrying, Our Students Like It
M. Anne O’Reilly
Electronic Resources Librarian
LaGuardia Community College

2. Our Comfort Level
At LaGuardia Community College, there is a preference to teach to the catalog and specific databases rather than OneSearch. The reasons include not being able to narrow your focus as easily using OneSearch and being able to better research specific topics using specific databases.
But I believe one of the primary reasons is comfort and familiarity with the catalog and our databases. How do we develop a comfort and familiarity with OneSearch?
Soon we will have no choice. Our library services platform and the LaGuardia website is changing.

3. OneSearch Presence
As you can see on the following slide, our OneSearch presence is not as visible as other libraries.
According to our Google Analytics, OneSearch clicks account for 4-5% of our total searches on the home page - after our databases (33%), Academic Search Complete (17%), and the catalog (8%).
Our Web Services Librarian has created a more visible OneSearch presence on our new site, due to launch in Fall 2018.

4. LaGuardia’s Current Home Page

5. LaGuardia’s New Home Page

6. My Journey to the OneSearch Side ...
Knowing that we would eventually have more of a OneSearch presence, and being new to CUNY, LaGuardia, and academic libraries in general, I decided to find out more about this tool.
My search led me to Lehman College and Jen Poggiali who teaches her library instruction classes using OneSearch.
I sat in on two library instruction classes, and, with Jen’s permission, used her worksheet on my own class, LRC 103, which I taught in Fall II 2017 (Jan. - Feb. 2018).

7. OneSearch Assignment borrowed from Lehman College
1. Imagine that you are interested in finding out whether young people can get addicted to cell phones. Write down the exact words you would use to search for this topic in OneSearch. These are your keywords.
2. Try your keywords in OneSearch and look at the results on the first page. Are they what you expected? If not, how are they different from what you expected?
3. Try 2-3 strategies to change or improve your search results. What works best?
4. Pick one item from your search that looks relevant or interesting. What is this item? (e.g., a book, an article, or something else) List 2 ways you can tell.
5. Click on the title of the item you chose. This displays the item’s record. How do you narrow, or “filter” your search?
6. Look for a way to view or read this item. Is it available online in full text or do you need to access it a different way?

8. Students’ Comfort Level
I gave the students the assignment without any prioring training on how to use OneSearch.
I used the same format from Lehman’s instruction: I gave them the worksheet, broke them into groups, allowed the students time to answer the questions, then had the students present their findings.
The students at LaGuardia performed the same as the students at Lehman. One question was confusing to both schools and we revised the question for future use.
Students from my class told me they used OneSearch for their research from that point forward.

9. OneSearch Instruction Module
In order to make it easier for instructors to teach how to use OneSearch, I’m working with my colleague, Derek Stadler, to create a OneSearch Instruction Module.

10. Any Questions?
Thank you!

11. LaGuardia’s OneSearch Page