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Academic Libraries
Students and academic texts
Nov 21st
Now that students (and their families!) are expecting to pay more for higher education, how have their attitudes to the delivery, format and cost of learning resources changed? As part of a one day conference organised by the Publishers Association, a panel of students shared their thoughts, experiences and wish-lists. They had interesting things to say to academic publishers, university programme directors, librarians and lecturers.
Key messages from the student panel
- Too much information – students are often overwhelmed by the amount of information, across a variety of formats, that they are attempting to manage. Although access to information is important, the critical skills to analyse and filter are greatly in demand
- There is an overwhelming need for information analysis skills
- Not all students want e-everything. Several panel members expressed their love of the hard copy text book. However, another called reading anything in print format ‘a chore’. Most students recognised that a mixture of formats is necessary or even desirable
- Overseas students sometimes need help in transferring to the UK model of education (especially if they come from an educational culture where they learn by rote). Teaching tools for overseas students would be greatly appreciated.
- Students would love, shorter chapters, chapter summaries, key learning points, revision aids etc.
Challenges and opportunities for academic librarians
The library is a trusted partner for many of the students. They rely on librarians to help them develop their information skills, to help with information quality assurance and to guide them to useful resources beyond the reading lists. When it comes to recommended reading, students are often asking students in the years above them for their honest opinions on reading list resources. At the same time, only one student reported that she was ever asked for her opinion on learning materials. Several students reported that they would be uncomfortable with criticising material/text books written by their own lecturers. Institutional librarians could perhaps help facilitate quality control and student feedback of learning materials and recommended reading.
Because of the cost of their education, students expect their learning resources to be made available by their institutions/ libraries – and think most of them should be free. They should also be available in any format they can. Libraries and publishers still have some way to go to ensure that e-textbooks are available to meet this demand.
The panel of students, from the LSE and the University of Greenwich, formed part of the Publisher’s Association one day conference ‘Students at the Heart of the system’ held in London on 21 November 2011
Students benefit from digital literacy skills
Mar 4th
The University Library at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) gave 16 students e-readers and studied how they accessed their reading lists, used discipline-related e-books and articles and how they used the resources to assist them in their own academic writing.
Students, keen to participate and experiment with new tools, attended workshops at the beginning and halfway through the project. Students expect and appreciate ‘always available’ resources that are easy to access – preferably with one-click. They must develop and improve their digital literacty skills, and the library can help them do this.
For the library, being linked with new technology, and the regular contact with enthusiastic students had its own benefits.
The full story of the project is published here.
What do students REALLY want?
Jan 19th
In an interesting blog post, Stephen Abram considers the findings of a recent (US) research report. The original research was conducted by the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) and asked US college students about their format preferences for textbooks. BISG found that ‘nearly 75% of students…say they prefer textbooks in printed rather than etext form’. Reasons cited for this preference included the potential resale value of the books and its ‘permanence’.
About 12% of the students surveyed said the prefer etexts to printed texts because of lower cost and portability while 11% preferred to rent textbooks.
Stephen Abram’s interpretation is slightly different. The survey was conducted before what he terms the ‘explosion’ of affordable tablets and e-readers in the consumer market which will almost certainly impact the uptake and acceptability of etexts. He also feels that students considered a ‘polarised’ view (either print OR etext) when in fact a hybrid model that combines e-texts with books would be much more likely.
Abram also states that it is often difficult for people who are surveyed to compare a situation they know (in this case text books) and an ‘imagined future state’. The e-text space is evolving with textbooks and library research services beginning to integrate. The space should be watched closely, says Abram.
Growing knowledge at the British Library
Jan 17th
Members of LIKE (London Information and Knowledge Exchange) attended a ‘private view’ of the Growing Knowledge exhibition at the British Library.
‘Growing Knowledge’ considers the future of research. The exhibition is, in fact, a learning space with multimedia research stations offering a selection of innovative research tools and technologies. The resources cover a range of subject areas, from astronomy to the biosciences and history to business studies. They reflect the growth of collaborative ventures (Galaxy Zoo for example, with its ‘citizen astronomers’) and new modes of communication (video journals and 3D imaging).
Visitors can provide feedback on their experience and the resources can also be accessed online. In addition, the researchers are hosting subject specific facilitated sessions to observe users and learn from their experiences.
This was my first LIKE event. Well organised, welcoming and well-attended, it won’t be my last!
SerialsSolutions Breakfast at ILI
Oct 15th
The networking started early on day 2 of Internet Librarian International as delegates gathered for the SerialsSolutions Summon focused breakfast and to hear a short presentation from Graham Stone of University of Huddersfield.
Spotlight on Scitable – a Social Network for Science
Oct 8th
ITI NewsLink’s Paula Hane takes a closer look at Scitable, a social network for science research and education from Nature Publishing Group (NPG), publishers of Nature and Scientific American.
Scitable is an educational website designed for biology and genetics faculty and undergraduate students and provides a free library of high quality vetted content and tools. A mobile version has just been launched.
UK Medical Students Issued with iPhones for Study Purposes
Oct 8th
The University of Leeds has announced that it is issuing smartphones to all fourth and fifth year medical students. The iPhones will provide access to progress files, assessment modules and educational materials.
According to the University, this is the first time a UK medical school has provided undergraduates with all the tools they need to study off campus via mobile phone technology.
520 medical students will be loaned an iPhone 3GS 16GB for the remainder of their course. The phones will be pre-loaded with a range of apps that will enable students to record notes on interesting cases whilst still on the wards, and test their knowledge of procedures they have just observed. Key medical textbooks and reference works, including guidelines on administering prescription drugs, will also be distributed as iPhone apps. A range of other relevant medical apps that can be downloaded free-of-charge or purchased will also be available.
Students will not be able to use the devices to access confidential patient databases and any case notes added to progress files will be anonymised. Lost or stolen phones will be wiped and disabled remotely. All devices are to be returned to the medical school before students graduate.
“Patient safety has been our primary aim in this development,” said Dr Richard Fuller, Director of the University of Leeds MBChB course. “By linking workplace learning and assessment in mobile technology formats, we have a groundbreaking opportunity to provide instant, timely and detailed feedback to students in practice from patients, peers and clinical staff. By recording this feedback, it allows students to review, plan and ‘feed-forward’ with tutors to ensure their development as safe, effective doctors.”
Internet Librarian International 2010 – Programme Unveiled
Jun 18th
The conference programme for Internet Librarian International (London, 14 – 15 October) is now available.
Internet Librarian International is the innovation and technology conference for information professionals. Keynotes this year come from author Robert Rowland Smith and Hazel Hall of Edinburgh Napier University, who will explore the hidden potential of social media for information professionals and shares her tactics for exploiting social networks.
Over 50 speakers from around the world will present this year, representing a variety of industry sectors, including government, health, education, business and law.
Sessions include Relating value to price and budget, Monitoring and maximising organisational impact, Social and mobile tools, Hot topics in innovation and Digital services for customer satisfaction.
Members of CILIP, SLA Europe, and a number of other associations are all entitled to discounts on the delegate booking fee.
Further information, and download and view the programme here.
Challenges for Academic Libraries in Difficult Economic Times
Apr 29th
A recently released guide from the Research Information Network reveals how academic librarians are experiencing and responding to financial cuts in the current economic climate.
Using data which was gathered in the UK and internationally, and which was then explored further during late 2009 with focus groups of senior librarians, the guide examines the financial position of libraries, their strategies for dealing with challenging economic circumstances, and the value of libraries.
The report reveals that, after a decade of growth in budgets and services, academic librarians now expect a sustained period of cuts over the next three to five years. Directors from across the sector reported that they were being asked to model cumulative cuts of between 5% and 10% a year.
The scale of these cuts means that librarians are having to reconsider the kinds and levels of service they can provide in support of their universities’ missions. The study reports that librarians across the sector are looking very closely at the costs of the ‘big deals’ and how they might be reduced. As a consequence, there is increased interested in national site licences covering the whole of the HE sector.
Other reductions being considered include opening hours, subject support for academic staff and students, and information skills training.
The report acknowledges that, in the very long term, it is possible that open access may help to reduce the pressure on library budgets. However, for the next three to five years at least, open access initiatives will continue to represent additional burdens on libraries, while the costs of running repositories, or paying publication fees, are not being offset by any significant reductions in subscription costs for scholarly journals.
The guide stresses that library directors from across the sector are keen to use the current financial difficulties as an opportunity to rethink what the library does, and to do things differently. But as yet there are few concrete proposals that will transform services or yield large-scale savings. The report concludes that sustaining world-class information services is of fundamental importance to UK universities. Libraries and their directors have a critical role to play, but they cannot do it all themselves. Leadership and partnership with champions from across the HE and information sectors will be critical to sustaining the outstanding position of UK universities.
