1. Julia Bauder, Beth Bohstedt and Phillip Jones Grinnell College Libraries LOEX National Conference Fort Worth, TXMay 7, 2011

2.  Is it appropriate for your campus? ◦ How do you teach information literacy? How could student mentors fit into your instruction program? ◦ Do you have a campus culture that is supportive of peer mentoring? What other programs on your campus employ students to teach other students?  If so, what initial steps would you need to take to implement it?

3.  Selective, residential liberal arts college.  1600 undergraduate students.  Curricular emphasis on inquiry-based learning.

4.  Locally customized version of the ACRL information literacy standards  Information literacy curriculum based on the customized standards

5. Reference Is Information Literacy Instruction

6. The information literacy and student mentoring programs were both cited by the award committee.

7.  Model 1: Campus-wide, students teaching students  Model 2: Academic libraries, mentoring students into profession of librarianship Grinnell’s programs are closer to Model 1 than Model 2.

8.  Math Lab  Science Learning Center  Academic Advising  Writing Lab  Data Analysis and Social Inquiry Lab  Intercultural Affairs

9.  Acknowledge and support existing practice  Encourage consistency of service  Offer basic research advice at all public service desks, not just the reference desk  Students might be more comfortable learning from a peer?  Give librarians more time to do classroom- based instruction and research consultations  Expand late night and weekend service

10.  Basic Information Service ◦ Provided at all public service desks ◦ Available whenever the library is open  Reference Assistant Program ◦ Provided at the reference desk ◦ Available 10:00pm to midnight Sunday - Thursday (and some afternoons)

11. Basic Information Service

12.  All students working at the Libraries’ public service desks will: ◦ Be able to answer basic information questions ◦ Know when and how to refer a student for more in-depth help

14. Required materials / Equipment  Agenda Outline/Checklist  Computers (one per student is ideal)  Laser pointer to highlight elements on the screen  Link or file for the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” game (prepared ahead of time)  Candy

15.  Introductions (5 minutes)  Basic Website/Catalog (5-7 minutes)  Research (12-15 minutes)  Referrals (10-12 minutes)  Review (12-15 minutes)  Closing (2 minutes) Total time: 45 minutes – 1 hour

22. Follow-up to BIS Training  Send sample reference questions every few weeks  Talk to the students working the public desks to see how it’s going

23. Reference Assistants: “Desirable, meaningful positions.”

24.  Needed to create positions, aid recruitment  Help in development and promotion of the Libraries’ reference services  Attend and participate in weekly RA meetings and training sessions  Earn senior student rate of pay

25.  3 RAs each semester, 4 positions for 2011-12  Social studies majors; a double major in art history & psychology  Varied academic concentrations: global development studies, linguistics  Foreign language skills: Spanish, French, Russian, Ukrainian, Hindi, and Nepali

26.  Faculty recommendations  Librarians invite applications  Library general applicant pool  Sought after jobs: interested students apply specifically for RA positions  Interview questions sent to applicants  Ask for and check references

27.  Complete Basic Information Service Training  RA training = 10 hours, early in semester, readings and discussion  Shadow a librarian and an RA  Regular training during weekly RA meetings

28.  1.5 hour weekday afternoon shift  9:30 pm-12 am shift(s) Sunday - Thursday  1 hour RA meeting weekly  Remainder: flextime to work on projects

33.  Facebook  Grinnell Plans  Posters in the dorms  Ads in the campus newspaper

34. Photo by Flickr user discovernaturewalk. http://www.flickr.com/ photos/discovernature walk/3066918873/ More about creepy treehouses: http://flexknowlogy.learningfield.org/2008/04/09/defining-creepy-tree-house/

39. *With some caveats.

40. Total questions by hour, October 2009 to March 2011

42.  Recruit science students as RA applicants  Hiring fourth RA for 2011-12 academic year  Statement of Mentoring Philosophy  Shared peer mentoring general orientation across campus

43.  Is it appropriate for your campus? ◦ How do you teach information literacy? How could student mentors fit into your instruction program? ◦ Do you have a campus culture that is supportive of peer mentoring? What other programs on your campus employ students to teach other students?  If so, what initial steps would you need to take to implement it?