No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.
Breaking out of our shell: Expanding the definition of outreach in academic libraries
... Sullivan (2015) examines the role of tutoring in academic success. Additionally, the library's role in academic success is further explored by authors such as Courtney (2009), who examines varieties of outreach and collaboration in academic libraries, including partnering with K-12 education and various activities that support academic success. The literature on the academic library's changing position within colleges and universities is described by Cox (2018), who finds many opportunities for collaboration with other campus units and supporting academic success. ...
The websites of 71 US research universities were the source of data on the relationship of academic libraries and campus writing centers, which provide support for developing written communication skills. All 71 institutions have writing centers, generally administered by the academic success operation, the English department, or a college such as arts and sciences. Just under half (n=35) of the institutions have a writing center located in the library. In 16 of those institutions, the library is the only location of the writing center. The general issues of academic success and “library as place,” as well as the space that was gained by weeding and storage of print collections, has led to this and other opportunities for collaboration between academic libraries and other campus units, part of the ongoing transformation of library organizations and their programs and services.
... Outreach has many definitions (see Ford, 2009;McDevitt, 2013), but most academic librarians define outreach as reaching out to those in their campus community to raise awareness about library services and resources (Courtney, 2009). In this article, I use the term outreach to encompass a broad range of engagement and communication activities, from marketing and promotion to awareness-raising and advocacy-with the specific intent of providing information about OA to members of the campus community, particularly faculty or other researchers. ...
INTRODUCTION There are many compelling reasons to make research open access (OA), but raising the awareness of faculty and administrators about OA is a struggle. Now that more and more funders are introducing OA policies, it is increasingly important that researchers understand OA and how to comply with these policies. U.K. researchers and their institutions have operated within a complex OA policy environment for many years, and academic libraries have been at the forefront of providing services and outreach to support them. This article discusses the results of a qualitative study that investigated effective practices and strategies of OA outreach in the United Kingdom. METHODS Semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 individuals at seven universities in the United Kingdom in late 2015. Transcripts of these interviews were analyzed for dominant themes using an inductive method of coding. RESULTS Themes were collected under the major headings of “The Message”; “Key Contacts and Relationships”; “Qualities of the OA Practitioner”; and “Advocacy versus Compliance.” DISCUSSION Results indicate that messages about OA need to be clear, concise, and jargon free. They need to be delivered repeatedly and creatively adapted to specific audiences. Identifying and building relationships with influencers and informers is key to the uptake of the message, and OA practitioners must have deep expertise to be credible as the messengers. CONCLUSION This timely research has immediate relevance to North American libraries as they contend with pressures to ramp up their own OA outreach and support services to assist researchers in complying with new federal funding policies.
... Academic libraries exist, first and foremost, to serve the faculty, staff, and students at their institutions. However, Nancy Courtney (2009) Broek and Rodgers 2015), supporting service-learning courses (e.g., Herther 2008;Nutefall 2009;Barry 2011aBarry , 2011b, initiating deliberative discussions about democracy (e.g., Kranich, Reid, and Willingham 2004), partnering with cooperative extensions (Faiks 2002), and publishing via open-access methods (Shuler 2007). While the academic library engagement literature is broad, and much of it focuses on campus engagement (Salinero and Beardsley 2009;Franklin 2012;Kranich, Lotts, and Springs 2014) or student engagement (Snavely 2012;Scull 2014)-including how libraries contribute to student learning (Kuh and Gonyea 2015;Oakleaf 2015), student retention (Clink 2015;Murray 2015), and student success (Crowe 2015;Nichols Hess et al. 2015)-the authors of this article seek to contribute to the growing body of literature about the role of academic libraries in civic engagement. ...
Although discourse on the civic engagement of libraries as institutions is plentiful, there has been little discussion of librarians as individuals. Librarianship is more than being a trustee of information. It includes responsibility for the common good. Libraries provide tools for education on social and political issues, but they can also collaborate in activities that improve well-being in their communities. Participating in service learning is one way that librarians on academic campuses can get involved. This study used a standardized scale to measure civic-mindedness among academic librarians and examine characteristics and activities, including service learning, related to variation in its scores. Results indicated that although most respondents made financial or service contributions, the group mean on the civic-mindedness scale was only moderate. Librarians who volunteered, had interest in service learning, or participated in community activities were more civic-minded than professionals who did not. Implications for the profession are discussed.
When libraries served more as warehouse utilities, data-driven decision-making was crucial. Now as more of our work increasingly revolves around forming complex relationships and ongoing interactions, a more humanistic approach is required for growth and improvement.
(Mathews 2014, p. 461)
Introduction
Our review of social developments in higher education (HE) showed how key trends such as the shift from an elite to a mass system coupled with the drive for social inclusion and reductions in public funding against a backdrop of digitalisation and globalisation are shaping policies, pedagogies and professions for the 21st century. Significant developments include the expansion and diversification of student services to support larger heterogeneous populations through educational and social transitions, including the adoption of lifecycle models and a commitment to educating the whole student; a renewed focus on the so-called third mission of universities, which puts their responsibilities to the economy and society on a par with their roles in learning, teaching and research; and the resurgence of a global student-led movement to decolonise the academic curriculum, the HE sector and the whole scholarly knowledge system, which has foregrounded difficult questions for institutions around colonialism, Eurocentrism and racism, and also forced a step-change in evolving relationships with students as partners.
The present chapter returns to the narrative on the social turn in HE, with a closer look at the service responses of academic libraries to the many complex challenges of the 21st century. The chapter adopts a topical structure and concentrates on areas where the social transformation of HE is having a major impact on library work. We start with a classic business dilemma, the challenge of serving very large diverse populations with different needs at different times in ways that are affordable, equitable and inclusive. We next review library participation in university strategies for socio-economic development based on reaching out to business and the local community, and then switch to the global arena with library strategies for international students. The following sections deal with two other areas where librarians have assumed broader responsibilities, namely student well-being and literacy development, while our final section provides a selective review of the growing body of work using intellectual and social capital and related concepts to provide insights into academic library resources, roles and relationships.
Completes a trio of surveys documenting social trends in higher education and the wider environment with a review of related developments in academic libraries. Concentrates on areas where the social transformation of HE is having a significant impact on library work. Key themes are mass customisation (delivering personal service to a diverse student body) and lifecycle thinking (designing interventions for different stages of the student journey); library contributions to economic and social development, including services and spaces for entrepreneurs and “makers”, facilitating the civic education of students and public participation in scholarship through deliberative forums, community archives, citizen science and service learning; service responses to internationalization, multiculturalism, and globalization; initiatives promoting the cognitive, behavioural and emotional wellbeing of students through collections, activities, and facilities; and expansion of instruction, using critical perspectives and diverse pedagogies to develop multiple literacies. Librarians are developing new liaison roles, deep collaborations, and partnerships with other campus units, external agencies and community groups as they adopt the holistic service philosophy of educating the whole student. They have also been using intellectual and social capital concepts and theories to investigate library and information use, information and academic literacies, academic and professional networks, and faculty and community engagement.
Column description. The Technology column examines current and developing technology topics in libraries. The column’s focus is creative uses of technology, introductions to new technologies, and critiques of current technologies, their uses, or their future. Readers interested in contributing ideas or writings to this column may contact column co-editors Suzanne Townsdin and Susan Whitmer.
The purpose of this chapter is to describe the planning, promotion, implementation, and assessment of the first LSU Libraries open house event. A review of the literature suggests that academic libraries that promote their services through open houses reap positive benefits, such as increased student awareness of library services and resources. Even though the Libraries has had an operating outreach services program since 1997, an event that comprehensively provided opportunities for the University community to interact with various Libraries departments and staff had not been attempted. An ad hoc open house committee formed to plan, promote, and recruit Libraries departments, University units, and volunteers for the event. The positive response to the open house exceeded the committee and the administration's expectations. Issues during planning and implementation were identified that are now serving as goals and objectives for future open house events.
Libraries and museums are increasingly looking to mobile technologies, including quick response (QR) codes, to better serve their visitors and achieve their overall institutional goals; however, there is a lack of information regarding patrons' perceptions of QR codes — information essential to successful implementations. This case study explored staff members' and patrons' perceptions of QR codes at Ryerson University Library and the Museum of Inuit Art in order to determine the extent to which QR codes are appropriate for use in libraries and museums. Observations and 56 patron and staff interviews were conducted to obtain data on usage, knowledge, reactions and expectations regarding QR codes in these institutions. It was found that QR code usage was low, but that there was potential for use, with patrons' reactions being generally positive. Three themes were identified from an analysis of the results: an assumption that young people and smartphone owners use QR codes; that QR codes are only used for one-way provision of information, not to initiate a conversation; and that QR codes can be used to personalize a visit to an institution. Libraries and museums are advised that based on these findings, QR codes can provide a cost effective and potentially powerful tool, but patrons should be first surveyed to tailor these initiatives to their wants and needs.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.