NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 22 number 2 - Winter 2002

By Nancy Vaupel, Scholarly Communication and External Relations

North Carolina State librarians Honora F. Nerz and Suzanne T. Weiner are the recipients of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference Best Overall Paper award for their submission "Information Competencies: A Strategic Approach." The award included a $3,000 prize. More than 1,000 papers were presented at the conference, which was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in June 2001.

In their paper, Nerz and Weiner discuss how students who have been instructed in the use of library resources for specific class assignments often return to the library "unable to transfer knowledge" from that previous instruction. The students then need "substantial individual help" from a librarian to complete their next assignment. In assessing this situation, Nerz and Weiner suggest the solution is to integrate information and library competencies into the curriculum. According to Weiner, "The curriculum integration approach that we explain in our paper is the product of several years of work. Our research applies the theories that were established by Poping Lin of MIT in her paper, 'Core Information Competencies Redefined: A Study of the Information Education of Engineers.'"

With the collaboration of NC State's College of Textiles faculty and, in particular, its dean, Blanton Godfrey, Nerz and Weiner tested this approach. Their paper explains what was done, why, and then analyzes the results. Weiner and Nerz agree that faculty members at the College of Textiles not only value libraries and information literacy but also see librarians as part of the educational process in the classroom. The faculty's open attitude and progressive vision proved critical to the success of the research, which resulted in the award.

Suzanne Weiner is currently head of Collection Management at the NCSU Libraries. Before that, she served as head of the Burlington Textiles Library and Engineering Services. Weiner worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before coming to NC State, first as a librarian and then as the education coordinator for the Center for Innovation in Product Development.

Honora Nerz became head of the Burlington Textiles Library and Engineering Services at NC State after working as the textiles and engineering services librarian. Nerz worked for five years as a design engineer for Bechtel Corporation before going into library work.