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Using Information Literacy and Outreach to give students what they need

Cinthya Ippoliti and Zoë Luter

Mesa Community College

AzLA Annual Conference, October 12th, 2005

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Outline Who we are Discussion A little background on Mesa Community College

Information Literacy Background Assessment Scores Addressing student needs Faculty owned and driven Future Steps

Outreach Background Five Outreach Areas

Discussion wrap-up

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Who we are New positions created to fill a specific need

Cinthya-Information Literacy ACRL definition: set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use

information Create an Information Literacy program (SD and RM-1/5 time)

Zoë-Outreach MCC Library Outreach strives to promote and ensure access to

library collections and services for MCC students, faculty & staff and the greater community through public information efforts, educational & recreational activities and programming.

Outreach Librarian at Southern and Dobson and Red Mountain (1/5 time spent there)

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Discussion

What does Information Literacy and/or outreach mean at your library?

How are you meeting student needs?

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Background on MCC

Ten degrees ranging from humanities to sciences and business including general education for transfer to ASU

Ten college district, MCC is the largest 22, 902 students at Southern and Dobson 3, 905 students at Red Mountain 9 librarians

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Information Literacy-Background Library

First year spent getting acquainted with MCC’s efforts, people and background and charted a course for planning an Information Literacy program

One-shot library instruction sessions-they are very good, but they are anecdotal, non-systematic and not every student attends one

General Education Student Outcomes Committee

General education assessment outcomes-Information Literacy is one of seven general, career and developmental education outcomes that are assessed

Test is multiple-choice and one essay component-will be revised this Fall and closely maps onto the ACRL standards

http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/organizations/employee/orp/assessment/

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Information Literacy-Assessment ScoresIL Outcomes: Pre/Post

2001 2002 2004 Define information need 76%-85% 67%-72% 68%-72%

Identify resources 63%-76% 63%-72% 65%-75%

Locate information 73%-79% 55%-62% 59%-66%

Evaluate information 84%-90% 79%-87% 84%-88%

Use information effectively 57%-68% 58%-62% 64%-72%

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Information Literacy-Addressing Student Needs

Results indicate that students consistently have difficulty with identifying, locating and using information effectively

Have you noticed similar issues at your campus?

Internal grant-Results Outreach Committee

Recruited interdisciplinary committee of faculty

Tie the scores within our institutional framework and provide faculty with practical and context-based discussions, ideas and activities that can be applied to their own departmental situation

Initiate discussion among the faculty regarding how these scores can be improved through various in class activities and/or curriculum modification

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Information Literacy-Faculty Owned and Driven How to best help students? Begin with the faculty! Year long workshop

series to get them involved and bridge the gap between the library and the classroom

New model and way of thinking-support from administration, not library centric, faculty take responsibility and “own” the tools

Does not mean library is excluded! On the contrary, it becomes seamlessly integrated within the college’s academic culture

Each committee member presented one workshop-none, except one, are librarians

Leading Students to Success Through Information Literacy1. Clearing the air: information literacy and the successful student2. Throwing a rope: collaborative solutions using ACRL standards and interdisciplinary teams3. Empowering activities: a critical look at pedagogy4. Gaining in-cite: issues of plagiarism and copyright 5. Going public: strategies, activities and lessons learned LIBRARY

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Information Literacy-Future Steps Information Skills for the Digital Age

course: overview of the world of information, elective transfer credit

General Education curriculum infusion-aligned with the college’s strategic goals

Information Studies Certificate-systematic and explicit

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Outreach-MCC Background 1999 new library building

Greater prominence New spaces for events Catalyst for more formal outreach plan

2004- created one-year-only outreach position maintained programming, established on-campus

relationships, worked with former librarian

2005-position became full time, permanent Can start looking at big picture, begin defining, planning

etc…

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Outreach-Early Efforts Planning

Giving student what they need Assessment

LibQual, survey, interviews, statistics, suggestion/comments box

Inventory current efforts Set priorities (assessment, funding, target group: e.g.

distance ed students)

Clearly define user groups (students: new, international, re-entry, distance, retiree, high school, honor)

In-reach-get everyone on board & aware of efforts

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Outreach-Early Efforts

Five Outreach Areas:

I. Public Information

II. Educational Activities

III. Library-Centered Programming

IV. Generating Funding

V. Establishing New Outreach Groups

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Outreach-Early Efforts

I. Public InformationPublicize library collections & services regularly and consistently to increase awareness of library.

Ongoing… New…

Library brochuresResearch GuidesArticles in student newspaperWhat’s New @ Your Library (student newspaper)Strong web presenceStaff participation in campus activities

Create new visual identity for library ( branding, logo to be included on all library publications)Articles in campus bulletin, weekly Communiqué highlighting new resources & servicesElectronic library newsletter

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Outreach-Early EffortsII. Educational Activities

Activities targeted to on-campus and off-campus constituents.

Ongoing… New…

On campus:Library presence at campus events (Health Expo, Career Day, EVTP, student orientations, Collaborate with Career Re-entry, Women’s Studies, Int’l Education departments Increase liaison activities

Off campus:Mesa Life OptionsMaricopa County Library Continuing Education Committee

On campus:Develop new relationships with on campus departments to promote/share library resources (e.g. New Frontiers-retiree program)

On & off campus:Exhibits (cultural & art)Establish partnerships with local public libraryInstruction outreach to local high schoolsEstablish library speaker series with specific, timely theme.

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Outreach-Early Efforts

III. Library-Centered Programming

Ongoing… New…

Book discussionsLibrary training workshops (e.g. ebrary)National Library Week activitiesSoaring to Excellence teleconferences

Library FestivalOpen House for both new students & facultySale of funding items (mugs, t-shirts, pens etc…)Speaker Series, panel discussion, community forums

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Outreach-Early Efforts

IV. Generating Funding

-These programs/outreach efforts need money-Library budgets in jeopardy-No ‘extra’ money lying around-Seek opportunities & partnerships outside the

library:Local grants, Library Services & Technology Act, Arizona Humanities Council, American Library Association, Institute of Museum & Library Services, National Endowment for the Humanities etc…

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Outreach-Early Efforts

V. Establishing New Outreach Groups-these groups will work on areas i-iii

-Form groups to help accomplish outreach initiatives.

Library Outreach Group Library Marketing Group Library Exhibits Committee Friends of the Library

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Discussion: Wrap-up

What is needed to improve outreach in your library?

What is needed to improve Information Literacy in your library?

Q & A