Pamela N. Martin Copyright (c) 2011 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin Recent documents in Pamela N. Martin en-us Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:41:45 PST 3600 Instruction by the Numbers: Using Data to Improve Teaching and Learning http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/8 http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/8 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:19:02 PST Outcomes assessment has been a mandate across higher education for at least a decade, and instruction librarians are no strangers to the call to show what their students have actually learned. Most libraries keep general statistics on instruction, including the number of class sessions librarians teach and the number of students in attendance. These numbers, however, reflect only "outputs" of an instruction program. Administrators call upon librarians (and other faculty) to measure student learning and the impact of specific programs on student retention. Educational theory and practice provide models for assessment, yet librarians face significant challenges in this environment. Librarians often teach only single sessions of courses conceived, created, and controlled by traditional teaching faculty members, with little control over course pedagogy or learning outcomes, and limited opportunities to assess students.

]]> Wendy Holliday et al. Societal Transformation and Reference Services in the Academic Library: Theoretical Foundations for Re-Envisioning Reference http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/7 http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/7 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:19:00 PST This paper draws on theories of societal transformation, specifically the information society and postmodernism, to pinpoint challenges and offer concrete advice for re-envisioning reference services in the academic library, including traditional reference work and formal library instruction. Rather than acting as experts to whom all patrons should defer, reference librarians should serve as helpful guides and fellow explorers of the information universe.

]]> Pamela N. Martin Librarian Perceptions and Information Literacy Instruction Models http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/6 http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/6 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:18:58 PST Purpose – This paper aims to explore both instruction librarians' attitudes on teaching and how they identify themselves as teachers. Particular attention is to be paid to teaching librarians' views on the effectiveness of two types of instruction models: for-credit courses and course-integrated library instruction.

Design/methodology/approach – To investigate librarians' attitudes towards these two models, a survey was constructed targeting librarians who teach information literacy (IL).

Findings – The results indicate that there is an important relationship between the IL instruction model employed and feelings towards campus politics, perceived effectiveness of IL models, and librarians' self-identification as teachers.

Research limitations/implications – The survey was sent to list-servs whose readership includes high percentages of teaching librarians and received 276 responses. This is by no means an exhaustive study. The research is intended to be exploratory and to delve more deeply than the past editorials and blog posts on the issue of comparing for-credit and course-integrated instruction.

Practical implications – This study can help librarians gain a better understanding of how information literacy models impact librarian perceptions of themselves and their role on campus.

Originality/value – The authors seek to transform a discussion that has occurred mostly informally (in blog posts, on list-servs, and in conversations) into a formal investigation of librarians' attitudes towards the two models.

]]> Erin L. Davis et al. Making the Executive Presentation http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/5 http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/5 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:14:12 PDT It is a common refrain heard from records and information management (RIM) professionals: "I can't communicate with my management." Like it or not, it is the burden of those who want to communicate to do so effectively. Given a continuing flattening of organizations, opportunities for presentations should increase; how effective they will be is another matter. While the purpose, topic, and content of senior-level presentations will vary widely, there are presentation concepts that all can value and apply to top management presentations.

]]> Pamela N. Martin et al. Societal Transformation and Reference Services in the Academic Library: Theoretical Foundations for Re-envisioning Reference http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/4 http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/4 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:14:11 PDT This paper draws on theories of societal transformation, specifically the information society and postmodernism, to pinpoint challenges and offer concrete advice for re-envisioning reference services in the academic library, including traditional reference work and formal library instruction. Rather than acting as experts to whom all patrons should defer, reference librarians should serve as helpful guides and fellow explorers of the information universe.

]]> Pamela N. Martin Reference Desk Consultation Assignment: An Exploratory Study of Students' Perceptions of Reference Service http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/3 http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/3 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:09:09 PDT This paper describes the experience of three sophomore English composition classes that were required to visit the reference desk for class credit. Student perceptions of reference consultations are analyzed to gain a clearer understanding of the students’ attitudes towards reference services. Findings of this exploratory study indicate that students still suffer from library anxiety and are much more likely to seek out reference help if they are convinced that a consultation will save them time.

]]> Pamela N. Martin et al. Reference and Library Instruction Google as Teacher: Everything Your Students Know They Learned from Searching Google http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/2 http://works.bepress.com/pamela_martin/2 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:42:21 PDT Pamela N. Martin Reference and Library Instruction