NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 23 number 1 - Fall 2002

By Cindy Levine and Megan Oakleaf, Research and Information Services

Each fall, four "truths" make themselves felt in the NCSU Libraries: the Web evolves; finding information is easier; finding good information is more challenging; and more than 3,000 new freshmen appear on campus, many of whom enter a major academic research library for the first time in their lives.

Even experienced researchers can be baffled by the increasingly rich information options offered by the Libraries. For new students entering NC State, the situation can be intimidating. At the same time, the Web can lure students with the illusion of simplicity. It offers them an easy way to find information, but much of it is of low quality.

The ability to find, evaluate, and use information effectively is an integral part of a student's academic and future professional success. The Research and Information Services Department (RISD) empowers students to find useful information without frustration. Critical to this mission is the effective integration of information literacy skills into each level of the university curriculum, starting with first-year students. The freshman English composition program, English 111, is a good starting point to provide the first level of information literacy instruction. Almost all incoming undergraduate students at NC State participate in English 111. Students learn about academic writing and discover the need for sophisticated library research.

LOBO2

To create a basis for information literacy instruction and to support the needs of English 111 students, librarians are working with freshman composition instructors to develop an Internet-accessible tutorial called LOBO2. The tutorial will help students learn to locate, evaluate, and use information within the context of their first major college writing assignments.

Librarians based the design of LOBO2 on observations of the learning styles and preferences of current students. First, the tutorial structure is modular, allowing students to go directly to the section of their choice and to return to any section that they want to review at a later time. Each segment is self-contained, providing the user the choice of completing the program in a linear fashion or focusing only on the parts that are needed at a given moment. LOBO2 is also interactive, allowing students to experiment, receive feedback, and test their own examples as they progress through the program. For instance, a citation builder enables the student to tease apart the elements of a citation, put each element into a separate box, and watch how the elements are automatically arranged into different citation formats.

Members of the LOBO2 development team include Megan Oakleaf, the librarian for instruction and undergraduate research; Cindy Levine, the librarian for the humanities; Josh Boyer, the reference librarian for Distance Learning Services; and Kim Duckett, an NCSU Libraries Fellow who works in Distance Learning Services. The team worked with Darby Orcutt, another Libraries Fellow, who enhanced the original LOBO tutorial. Contributions from English instructors Rachel Lutwick-Deaner, Deborah Hooker, and Patricia Lynne proved critical to creating a program that integrates successfully into the composition curriculum.

Other library programs provide support and instruction for freshmen students learning to use the Libraries. These programs include:

• Ask a Librarian: Freshmen learning new concepts are likely to need personal assistance. LOBO2 accommodates that need by using the "Ask a Librarian Live" virtual reference service. Through this service, students may send questions to reference librarians via the Internet and receive real-time, online responses.
• LOBO Labs: Even the combination of a Web-based tutorial with virtual reference support may not address the needs and learning styles of all students. In some instances, there is no substitute for working directly with a librarian in a lab setting. Librarians at NC State are working with the freshman composition instructors to identify critical points during the semester when students are most actively doing research. LOBO Labs will be scheduled during those time periods, and students will be actively researching their topics while librarians are available to answer questions and help students through the research process.
• Freshman English Tours: The last piece in the puzzle of creating information literate students is to help new students learn their way around the D. H. Hill Library building. Many freshmen feel overwhelmed when they enter the library for the first time. To make students more comfortable, a new learning tour activity will be included in many English 111 sections. Students will come to the library and be divided into groups, with each group assigned a specific section of the library. Groups will be given sets of questions about their sections that can be answered by talking to staff members and observing posted signs. Students then reconvene with their instructors and tour the building as one group. At each tour stop, the students assigned to that section describe that area to the rest of the group. This approach encourages both active learning and contact with library staff.

The NCSU Libraries has developed other avenues to orient new students to its services and collections outside of the classroom. The university sponsors orientation events for new students, transfer students, and international students and a University Open House to introduce students to important campus resources. Oakleaf developed an attractive display for use at these events, with graphics and an accompanying PowerPoint slide show that features different areas within the library system.

Beyond the First Year

Once a baseline level of information literacy is established through freshman programs, library subject specialists can build on this foundation by providing instruction in more advanced academic courses. Subject specialists identify the information skills necessary for the entire curriculum and work with faculty to integrate activities that build these skills at the appropriate level within the curriculum. A good example is the framework established for the engineering curriculum by Textiles Library and Engineering Services librarians, which includes information skills instruction and assignment suggestions for freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior levels. An outline of this framework can be viewed at http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/textiles/instruction/.

Library subject specialists act as liaisons with academic departments on campus, providing instruction and research services tailored to the needs of each course or curriculum. Faculty members who assign research projects may consult with subject specialists directly or through a new Web form on the Libraries' Web site at http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/risd/instruction/. Using this form, instructors can:

• request a library instruction session;
• request a custom Web page that links to information sources tailored for their courses and helps students locate and analyze high-quality information more effectively;
• request assistance from reference librarians in creating a library assignment that teaches students how to find relevant research materials and take full advantage of library resources.

Navigating the Libraries

Librarians work closely with students and understand the situations that cause confusion for users seeking information. Librarians apply this expertise to design systems that are easy to use without special instruction. For example, a virtual tour of the library and a self-guided tour will be available soon via the Web.

Entering university life brings many changes for students. A major challenge is their first assignment that requires using a large research library. Librarians are ready to help by creating better tools to introduce students to the skills they need.