Author
Kasia Gonnerman
Bio: Kasia Gonnerman is an academic researcher from St. Olaf College. The author has contributed to research in topics: Liberal arts education & Higher education. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 6 publications receiving 18 citations.
Papers
More filters
••
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a case study of a successful mentoring program for reference student assistants in the liberal arts environment, where the mentorship program has proven to be worthwhile and rewarding in equal measures to both the mentees and reference librarians working with their future successors.
Abstract: Purpose
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how to create and sustain a successful mentoring program for reference student assistants in the liberal arts environment. The study delineates student training, program assessment and the impact on reference practice in a way that can be used at other institutions considering implementing a similar initiative.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study is written by professionals who have been deeply engaged in initiating, running and assessing the program. It presents the value of the program in an unbiased and objective manner by including the voices of the student mentees themselves reflecting on the experience.
Findings
The mentorship program has proven to be worthwhile and rewarding in equal measures to both the mentees and reference librarians working with our future successors. It serves an important role in inspiring and encouraging library student workers to become interested in academic librarianship as a career choice and it prepares them to be successful students in library and information science graduate programs.
Originality/value
Although the discussion of training reference student assistants per se is not rare in the library literature, this particular program is unique in several ways: its main intent is to mentor students who are interested in pursuing librarianship as a career goal; it occurs in the context of a liberal arts college rather than in a larger university setting, especially those offering degrees in information and library science; and it empowers students to provide in-depth independent reference services for their peers and faculty.
8 citations
01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: The Bridge Consortium had outgrown the existing catalog and needed to find an improved search interface for collections, and explored everything from catalog enhancements provided by Innovative Interfaces to a completely separate, Web-scale discovery tool.
Abstract: Like many libraries, the Bridge Consortium (the shared library of Carleton College and St. Olaf College) had outgrown the existing catalog and needed to find an improved search interface for collections. Seeking something that would work with the existing Innovative Interfaces Inc.'s Millennium integrated library system, researchers explored everything from catalog enhancements provided by Innovative Interfaces to a completely separate, Web-scale discovery tool. For the past year, they worked to implement VuFind as a catalog overlay, continually customizing and enhancing it based on user feedback. At the same time, they continued to research a broader solution and recommended a discovery tool to their consortium leadership group that they believe will redefine student research at their colleges and give new shape and direction to their consortium. By thinking of discovery as more than a product and staggering their implementation, they were better able to meet their consortium's needs. This article details their evaluation process and provides reflection on the decisions made. Many libraries are considering Web-scale discovery products. As part of the process, they confront questions about open source tools, Web site redesigns, incorporating user feedback, and consortial needs. The researchers hope to contribute to these libraries' processes by outlining their process and considerations, and what they learned along the way to arrive at their current solution.
4 citations
••
01 Jan 20154 citations
••
TL;DR: In this paper, the Bridge Consortium (the shared library of Carleton College and St. Olaf College) had outgrown the existing catalog and needed to find an improved search interface for collections.
Abstract: Like many libraries, the Bridge Consortium (the shared library of Carleton College and St. Olaf College) had outgrown the existing catalog and needed to find an improved search interface for collections. Seeking something that would work with the existing Innovative Interfaces Inc.'s Millennium integrated library system, researchers explored everything from catalog enhancements provided by Innovative Interfaces to a completely separate, Web-scale discovery tool. For the past year, they worked to implement VuFind as a catalog overlay, continually customizing and enhancing it based on user feedback. At the same time, they continued to research a broader solution and recommended a discovery tool to their consortium leadership group that they believe will redefine student research at their colleges and give new shape and direction to their consortium. By thinking of discovery as more than a product and staggering their implementation, they were better able to meet their consortium's needs. This article detail...
4 citations
Cited by
More filters
••
TL;DR: In this paper, a systematic literature review of student employment in academic libraries is presented, focusing on articles, books, and ACRL conference proceedings published from 1997 to 2017, 216 publications were reviewed and identified the characteristics of highly effective educational practices demonstrated in each publication's student employment program.
21 citations
••
TL;DR: “discovery” is explored as it assesses WSDS performance and results obtained from a request to WSDS vendors to showcase the search power of their system with actual reference questions are reported.
Abstract: “Discovery” is today's term for user-centered information searching and access. A growing number of libraries have embraced Web-scale discovery services (WSDS) featuring one-stop searching of libraries’ owned and licensed collections. Recognizing potential benefits to users of these systems, a mid-sized ARL library formed a discovery-tool committee in spring 2012 to explore selection of a WSDS in keeping with its values, vision, and institutional mission. This article explores “discovery” as it assesses WSDS performance and reports results obtained from a request to WSDS vendors to showcase the search power of their system with actual reference questions.
13 citations
••
TL;DR: This column examines the relevance of a service design approach to collaborative space planning and further examines the challenging process of applying idealized or general models and theories to the reality of the authors' daily work and local contexts.
Abstract: Student success units, like Writing Centers, are logical partners for academic libraries. It is not uncommon to find tutoring or academic support services located in library Learning Common...
11 citations
••
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated areas in which current LIS professionals working in digital humanities came into their various roles, how they have been trained, and how they feel about their opportunities for training, and where improvements can be made.
Abstract: As academic librarians strive to meet the needs of their users, it is important to understand the current and constantly changing landscape of digital humanities librarianship. The author of this article investigated areas in which current LIS professionals working in digital humanities came into their various roles, how they have been trained, how they feel about their opportunities for training, and where improvements can be made. The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the digital humanities librarian skill set and to explore what training and infrastructure are needed in the field. Rather than looking to define digital humanities as a discipline, this study provides a current profile of digital humanities librarians, allowing for the profession to align with this evolving field's scholars and practitioners.
8 citations
••
TL;DR: Ultimately, service blueprinting was found to be a useful tool that can be applied to assess and improve library technology services.
Abstract: Objective: The objective of this article is to illustrate the application of service blueprinting—a design tool that comes from the service design tradition—for assessing and improving library technology services. Setting: A mid-sized library at a public university in the western United States. Methods: A service blueprint was co-created by library and IT staff in a design workshop in order to map the operational flow of a data visualization display wall. Results: Guided by the service blueprint, the project team identified points of improvement for the service of the data visualization display wall, and developed recommendations to aid further applications of service blueprinting. Conclusions: Ultimately, service blueprinting was found to be a useful tool that can be applied to assess and improve library technology services. Correspondence: Scott W. H. Young: swyoung@montana.edu
8 citations