Through the LookingGlass.

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Through the Looking-Glass.
Judy Reading User Education Co-ordinator Oxford
University Library Services
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• The emphasis will be on how we can
  collaborate more effectively as librarians to
  deliver information about and training for the
  skills Cambridge undergraduates and graduates
  need to support their work.

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Oxford comparison

• Useful because similar not because necessarily at
  forefront of good practice
• Hopefully will spark discussion

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Oxford Libraries we aim to

• Ensure all our readers are given a clear and
  helpful introduction to the Library services as
  appropriate to their needs. 
• Ensure all members of the University and its
  libraries are offered effective support and
  guidance in identifying and using appropriate
  information resources. 
• Develop and promote information expertise as a
  general and transferable skill for students and
  researchers of the University at levels
  appropriate to their needs.
• see www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/training

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Ideal user education?

• Online, self-directed
• Tailored to individual needs
• Relevant and embedded in course structure
• Academic staff involved
• Unnecessary because resources self-explanatory

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Co-ordination at Oxford

• User Education Co-ordinator post established
  Nov. 2004
• Policy and planning documents agreed at OULS
  Staff Conference 2005
• Induction, User Education and Guides W.P.
  established
• Webpages created for readers and
• in the staff intranet see www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/tra
  ining

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Various definitions exist

• CILIP
• Information literacy is knowing when and why you
  need information, where to find it, and how to
  evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical
  manner. www.cilip.org.uk/policyadvocacy/informa
  tionliteracy/definition/

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Or

• Information skills is the process by which a
  reader is able to find the thing for themselves
  next time after you have shown them the first
  time. My working definition

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http//www.sconul.ac.uk/groups/information_literac
y/seven_pillars.html
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Co-ordinator post has facilitated induction

• Freshers Fair presence for Library services
• Induction events arranged for visiting students
  and contract research staff pan-OULS
• Undergraduate induction is organised centrally
  via a user education database a boon for
  College Secretaries
• Library guides and maps distributed via Colleges
  for new students
• Information about new staff circulated to subject
  librarians

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User education

• User education database created to identify gaps
  (still work in progress for postgrad courses and
  post-induction undergraduates),
• Co-ordinate Library staff teaching Refworks at
  the Computing Services
• Training relating to plagiarism for Library staff
  delivered by Co-ordinator and with Learning
  Institute for academic staff.

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WISER Workshops in Information Skills and
Electronic Resources www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/wiser
Popular courses include Keeping up to date,
Remote access, Electronic resources
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WISER

• Central programme of training
• Subject-specific and general sessions (eg on
  French and also on Keeping up to date)
• Many library staff contribute
• Useful for library staff development both in
  working together to deliver sessions and also in
  attending sessions
• Feedback gathered which raises standards
• Shared archive of presentations

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Future of WISER..

• Would like to create more online, independent
  learning opportunities on the WISER topics
• Need to make the sessions more interactive and
  hands-on
• Some of them could be longer than one hour
  lunch-time

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This very popular training event for research
students was organised with Careers and OUCS
always over-subscribed how roll-out to all?
Make online?
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Guides

• Collaboration over guides and sharing teaching
  resources
• Saves time and improves quality
• Gradually replacing paper with online guides?

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Guides (Brief induction guides, guides to
services, libraries, subjects and databases) see
www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/guides
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Library staff training

• Exchange of experience days, plagiarism,
  reference management, electronic resources for
  front-line staff, voice coaching, tools for
  trainers, effective presentations, Word for
  guides, INFORMS and Weblearn

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Barriers to co-ordinating role?

• Subject librarians interpret skills and liaise
  with academic staff completely independently
• Protective of relationship with academic staff
• How can we improve standards across Oxford while
  preserving independence of subject librarians?

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Our popular competitors should readers have to
learn to navigate round our complex systems?
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Our readers, staff and students have new
expectations from our services and new ways of
working and we risk losing relevance if our
services are too difficult to use

• http//www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/r
  eppres/gg_final_keynote_11012008.pdf

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Oxford students

• Are not homogeneous
• Prefer to find out for themselves
• On the whole find Library training and induction
  useful (if boring and long-winded)
• Feel confident in locating information in their
  subject
• Make very intelligent observations when asked for
  their feedback
• Do not necessarily understand basic things about
  how information is organised
• Gleaned from Freshers Fair surveys and
  feedback at our Research Students Toolkit Event

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Co-operation benefits

• Save time by sharing teaching resources and
  guides
• Improve quality by peer mentoring and team
  teaching
• Stronger voice within Library and University if
  work together

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However

• Need to balance tailored provision with joint
  thinking about standards
• Need to balance creativity of individual approach
  with the benefits of harmonisation