Library Faculty/Staff Scholarship and Research
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2278
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Item Building visualization skills through investigating the Journal of the Medical Library Association coauthorship network from 2006–2017(Journal of the Medical Library Association, 2020) Reznik-Zellen, Rebecca; Carroll, Alexander J.; Harrington, Eileen G.; Joubert, Douglas James; Nix, Tyler; Alpi, Kristine M.Objective: The primary objective of this study was to explore different dimensions of Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) authorship from 2006-2017. Dimensions that were evaluated using coauthorship networks and affiliation data included collaboration, geographical reach, and relationship between Medical Library Association (MLA) member and nonmember authors. A secondary objective was to analyze the practice and practical application of data science skills. Methods: A team of librarians who attended the 2017 Data Science and Visualization Institute used JMLA bibliographic metadata extracted from Scopus, together with select MLA membership data from 2006-2017. Data cleaning, anonymization, analysis, and visualization were done collaboratively by the team members to meet their learning objectives and to produce insights about the nature of collaborative authorship at JMLA. Results: Sixty-nine percent of the 1,351 JMLA authors from 2006-2017 were not MLA members. MLA members were more productive and collaborative, and tended to author articles together. The majority of the authoring institutions in JMLA are based in the United States. Global reach outside of the United States and Canada shows higher authorship in English-speaking countries (e.g., Australia, United Kingdom), as well as in Western Europe and Japan. Conclusions: MLA support of JMLA may benefit a wider network of health information specialists and medical professionals than is reflected in MLA membership. Conducting coauthorship network analyses can create opportunities for health sciences librarians to practice applying emerging data science and data visualization skills.Item Collaborating for Success: A Case Study on Mentoring, Partnering, and Teaching(Collaborative Librarianship, 2017-01) Kellner, Megan N.; Tchangalova, Nedelina; Gammons, Rachel W.; Carroll, Alexander J.; Payne-Sturges, Devon C.Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) graduates seeking employment in academic libraries are often expected to possess user instruction and public service skills. However, it is difficult for students to achieve this experience through coursework alone. To address this disconnect, librarians at the University of Maryland (UMD) College Park Libraries created a Research and Teaching Fellowship to allow MLIS students at UMD to gain practical instruction experience. The authors present the experience of one MLIS student in collaboration with a subject librarian and a faculty member to plan, implement, and assess an information literacy instruction session for an undergraduate course in public health. The article discusses the benefits of mentoring for the MLIS student and subject liaison librarian, and the impact on the undergraduate student learning. This article addresses a gap in the literature on opportunities for MLIS students to gain instruction, collaboration, and assessment experience by presenting a successful model in place at UMD.Item Flipping one-shot library instruction: using Canvas and Pecha Kucha for peer teaching(Journal of the Medical Library Association, 2016-04) Carroll, Alexander J.; Tchangalova, Nedelina; Harrington, Eileen G.OBJECTIVE This study sought to determine whether a flipped classroom that facilitated peer learning would improve undergraduate health sciences students' abilities to find, evaluate, and use appropriate evidence for research assignments. METHODS Students completed online modules in a learning management system, with librarians facilitating subsequent student-directed, in-person sessions. Mixed methods assessment was used to evaluate program outcomes. RESULTS Students learned information literacy concepts but did not consistently apply them in research assignments. Faculty interviews revealed strengthened partnerships between librarians and teaching faculty. CONCLUSION This pedagogy shows promise for implementing and evaluating a successful flipped information literacy program.Item E-Book Perceptions and Use in STEM and Non-STEM Disciplines: A Comparative Follow-Up Study(The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016-01) Carroll, Alexander J.; Corlett-Rivera, Kelsey; Hackman, Timothy; Zou, JinwangThis article describes the results of a survey that gathered data on perceptions and use of e-books from undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff. The investigators analyzed the results based on user affiliate status and subject discipline and compared the results with the findings of a similar, smaller-scale study conducted in 2012. The study concludes with a discussion of the major findings and their implications for academic libraries and publishers, as well as areas for further inquiry.Item Using Canvas and PechaKucha to Facilitate Undergraduate Peer Teaching of Evidence Based Practice(2015-10-19) Carroll, Alexander J.; Tchangalova, Nedelina; Harrington, Eileen G.PURPOSE: While most early career undergraduates receive instruction in the core competencies of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards, recent studies suggest that such general instruction programs do not provide students with enough exposure or guided practice for these concepts to be retained sufficiently. This paper describes a pilot flipped information literacy program designed that sought to improve upper-level undergraduate health science students’ abilities to find and select appropriate evidence for research assignments. PARTICIPANTS: Faculty and undergraduate students in public health and animal sciences departments at a large research university. Participants in this project were compensated with gift cards, paid for in part by a MAC-MLA Research & Assessment Grant. METHODOLOGY: During the 2014-2015 academic year, the authors piloted a flipped information literacy program. Students completed online modules within the university’s learning management system that addressed a number of information literacy topics. During subsequent in-class sessions, the librarians adopted the role of facilitators while students led the session as peer educators, working in teams to develop and deliver brief presentations on an assigned module. The outcomes of this pilot program were evaluated using several methods of assessment. The authors designed rubrics for evaluating student performance on pretests, posttests, as well as on significant research assignments. The investigators also conducted semi-structured interviews with faculty participants to assess their perceptions of the program. RESULTS: Early results indicate that while student participants learned information literacy concepts, they did not consistently nor effectively apply them throughout the research process. However, this instructional method was developed in close collaboration with disciplinary faculty, which created stronger partnerships between librarians and teaching faculty and allowed for further curricular collaborations. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Based on final results, the paper will explore the challenges and successes in designing, implementing, and evaluating a flipped information literacy program.Item A Cohort Study of Entry Level Librarians and the Academic Job Search(American Library Association, 2015-06-15) Reed, Jason B.; Carroll, Alexander J.; Jahre, BenjaminPrevious studies have examined the challenges faced by those seeking a professional position within academic libraries, as well as the skills and qualities preferred by Library and Information Science (LIS) employers. However, less attention has been paid to the common approaches, characteristics and experiences of first-time job seekers who successfully find employment within academic libraries. This paper presents the findings of a cohort study that investigated the academic job search process for entry level professionals. The cohort was comprised of graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science (UNC SILS) who completed their degrees between May 2011 and May 2013, and who were working within academic libraries when the study was conducted. The study used in-depth, qualitative interviews to ask participants to share the experiences of their initial job search. Topics addressed within these interviews included: supplementing classroom training with relevant library experience, finding job postings, creating application materials that capture a search committee’s attention, preparing for phone and on-campus interviews, and negotiating a job offer. The results of this study will help LIS students, recent graduates, and others seeking their first professional position in an academic library improve their candidacies by drawing on the collective experiences of this cohort of recent graduates. The results will also be useful for new library professionals, hiring officials, and LIS educators who mentor LIS students by providing insights in how candidates approach and prepare for the application and interview processes.Item Champagne Information Literacy Workshops on a Beer Budget(The Innovative Library Classroom 2015, 2015-03-12) Corlett-Rivera, Kelsey; Carroll, Alexander J.; Macri, LindaThe University of Maryland Libraries offer drop-in information literacy workshops, which historically have been poorly attended. Previous efforts to increase attendance have focused on marketing, but a lack of time and funding for large-scale advertising hampered those efforts. One creative approach was a partnership between the UMD Libraries and the Graduate School Writing Center to offer Research and Writing Bootcamps, to leverage their respective audiences. Based on those experiences and the needs students expressed during research and writing consultations, this collaboration expanded to include a workshop on researching and writing literature reviews. Despite not launching a formal marketing campaign for that workshop, or conducting a lengthy needs assessment, twenty-four hours after opening registration, we had 165 students registered for two workshops in a 35 seat instruction room. This talk will suggest affordable ways to identify high priority topics to develop information literacy workshops that teach what students want to learn.Item Uncorking Learning: Flipping Library Instruction PechaKucha-Style(2015-05-12) Carroll, Alexander J.; Tchangalova, Nedelina; Harrington, Eileen G.Creating a buzz for information literacy among faculty and students is a challenge for many librarians, particularly given the prevalence of one-shot library sessions. Could flipping the information literacy session using a learning management system improve learning outcomes, while engaging students more fully with information literacy concepts? Working with undergraduate students in the health sciences, we assigned student groups different online modules prior to class and had them present what they learned to the class in a Japanese presentation style, known as PechaKucha. We compared these sessions with a more traditional instructor-led session. In this PechaKucha-style presentation, participants will learn about efficient and effective approaches for flipping the classroom and assessing student learning in this type of information literacy session.Item Librarians as Action Researchers: A Practical Framework for Evidence-Based Information Literacy Instruction(LOEX, 2015-05-01) Klipfel, Kevin Michael; Carroll, Alexander J.This presentation proposes a framework for evidence-based practice for instructional librarianship drawn from discourse in education regarding the role of evidence in professional practice. We propose a framework for librarians to conceive of themselves as "action researchers": professional practitioners who (1) adhere to the best available evidence about teaching and learning; (2) methodologically test their assumptions about their practice by conducting research in their local environments; and (3) apply these learnings in their own research and instruction practices. This definition differs from the current library literature on evidence-based practice in two main ways: it provides librarians with an established theoretical framework for becoming evidence-based instructors in practice and it elevates data about student learning, rather than professional intuition or faculty perceptions, as the driving force behind our decision making as teacher-librarians. We will next discuss the major practical benefits of this framework. First, it offers librarians a practical model that can be used to professionalize their teaching. Second, this increased professionalization as educators can help librarians more successfully meet the institutional priorities of higher education, the facilitation and assessment of student learning on campus. Lastly, by seriously engaging with the craft of teaching, teacher-librarians are better equipped to become genuine co-collaborators with faculty across campus. The implications of this shift in professional ethos may be considerable; such paradigm shifts do not often occur within a community of practice quickly or without some resistance. Consequently, we will conclude our talk by noting potential challenges and offering concrete recommendations for success for instruction librarians and library leaders seeking to foster an evidence-based community of practice in their own libraries.Item “Scholarship is a Conversation”: Discourse, Attribution, and Twitter’s Role in Information Literacy Instruction(The Journal of Creative Library Practice, 2015-03-11) Carroll, Alexander J.; Dasler, RobinWhen addressing scholarly attribution, citation, and plagiarism in one-shot instruction sessions, librarians often fail to present these issues in a manner that has relevance for students. Librarians often focus on intellectual honesty and the potential ramifications of plagiarism, both individual pursuits, rather than explaining that by creating an academic work, students are participating in academic discourse. Within Pluralizing Plagiarism, Anson argues that scholarly attribution instruction that emphasizes “policy, detection, and punishment” is antithetical to the mission of institutions of higher learning – the education of students (Anson, 2008). One of the major deficiencies of this compliance-based instruction is that it presents students with a false dichotomy that does not align with their authentic life experiences; plagiarism is demonstrated as a black and white issue, rather than existing in shades of gray. Students who have come of age within a twenty-first century information ecosystem rife with remix and parody culture will likely find teaching that presents the re-use of source material as a non-nuanced issue unconvincing. Because students respond positively to instruction that aligns with their authentic experiences, this suggests that librarians need to develop new methods for teaching attribution and scholarly discourse that not only recognize the nuance inherent to these topics, but also presents these concepts within a familiar framework (Klipfel, 2014). As a familiar platform for social interaction with multiple avenues for giving credit and a shorter timescale, Twitter presents an opportunity to place attribution, plagiarism, and integrity into a humanizing, real world context that models how discourse unfolds in an authentic manner for learners. By embedding attribution instruction into a meaningful context, librarians and other educators can make substantial and much needed improvements to traditional compliance-based instruction, which is often built upon the slow, rigid, and unfamiliar patterns of how to cite scholarly works.