Research & writing training

Meg's post of the Penn info lit site reminded me of this tool that Lauren and I used in our tutor training: Tufts Research Paper Navigator http://www.library.tufts.edu/researchpape. It's like the U of Minnesota navigator, but it combines the writing process with research. Lauren and I liked it, but the students were less impressed (they don't work as "linear-ly" as the navigator).

If you are curious about the training module we created for the writing center/library project tutors, you will find the outline and linked resources on the shared drive:
S:\Marcia\Writing Center\Training material\Training outline combined2 final\

Marcia

Undergraduate Research

Some interesting discussion has been taking place within Ames over the use of the word, "Research." Many think it is what our students do when they come to the library. However, when surveying our student workers in preparation for the upcoming AskAmes chat reference advertising campaign, the term "research assistance" didn't resonate with them. Instead, "Need help?" really struck a cord. The usability testing done by Suzanne and Stephanie reflects interesting contrasts between the links in the student created categories of "Research" and "Help." In my recent undergraduate career, I never considered the work I was doing, "research" until I began to work in earnest on my senior project. All of these thoughts were rolling through my head as I began to consider the recent article, "WebGURU: The Web-Based Guide to Research for Undergraduates." in the July/August issue of the Journal of College Science Teaching. The authors are recommending that faculty direct their students to learn more about doing research http://www.webguru.neu.edu/index.php. Resources that can be found in libraries ARE included in the website. It just seems, from this site's scientific perspective, that research encompasses so much more than using the library. Maybe this is why our students are confused by the term...

Dewey Free?

According to the New York Times, the Perry Branch Library in Gilbert, Arizona, has decided to abandon the use of the Dewey Decimal System. Books are shelved by subject matter and searchable by subject terms and authors in a database, but no call number is assigned.

I don't think I would mind this experiment so much, except that this branch is located on the grounds of the local high school. What kind of information literacy skills are the students going to have when they leave this system to go to college? The casual browsing the director alludes to certainly isn't the only type of need these students will have as they work to complete their assignments for grades 9-12. Incoming college freshmen from the Perry Branch Library would be lost here at Wesleyan, and heaven help them if they ever have to find a book someplace like the main stacks at the U of I.

When 'Digital Natives' go to the library.

If you can look beyond the comparison of the library to the church, Jaschik makes a few interesting points. I know I am prone to doing the following.

"A digital native would never read an instruction manual with a new game before simply trying the game out, Gee said. Similarly, students shouldn’t be expected to read long explanations of tools they may use before they start experimenting with them."

http://insidehighered.com/news/2007/06/25/games

Idea for using a wiki with students & faculty

Sue and I were talking yesterday about components of ideas that have been floating around and how they might coalesce into one approach with a wiki.... How about partnering at the course level with a faculty member where one project/assignment the students have is to create a wiki "subject page" with annotated sources for the course as a whole or for a particular portion of the course? Perhaps then it could grow and evolve over the semesters.

It seems like an intriguing way to combine student engagement with information, information literacy, and technology. Any thoughts? Has anyone heard of other libraries doing this?