Outreach, E-Learning, Resource Guides

I was hoping that the first presentation, on providing library services at Multicultural student services centers would help me figure out the next steps to take with a virtual outreach project I am trying to coordinate via the library website, involving student services providers at PCC. It did not, but did at least give me hope and faith that student services providers can take an interest in how the library can work with them to the benefit of our students. The UNM program is a physical outreach project, but many principles work the same: flexibility, visibility, marketing, etc.

Other speakers provided information about services at their libraries that are not transferable or relevant to PCC at this point. University of Colorado – Boulder has developed an in-house database that provides access to library FAQs, course guides, and subject guides. They are having success with this approach and are able to keep better statistics on what students are searching for and can shift the metadata attached to their guides to get students to existing guides that meet their needs but were missed based on the search strategy used. This has interesting implications, but ultimately isn’t what we want to do, I think. I was put in mind of Jared Spool’s talk at Online NW this year, I got the impression from him that search boxes can cause some issues, but I haven’t looked at the UC-Boulder page to see exactly how they have implemented the search feature.

“Being in Their Space, Not on MySpace” University Libraries Satellite Outreach Services Program: Reference and Instruction at Multicultural Student Services Centers.
Paulita Aguilar, University of New Mexico, NM, and Kathleen Keating, University of New Mexico, NM

  • Library agrees to
  • establish professional library service point
  • staff it
  • install wireless connection for student services hall
  • use IM and chat to reference desks for support and resource sharing
  • provide access to current subject specific web-based research guides to all ac. disciplines

Spring 2006 to present

  • implementation
  • recruiting librarians
  • schedule
  • communication with student services director
  • satellite-l (listserv for participating librarians)
  • marketing and promotion
    • sponsored pizza party in the foyer of student services building

Equipment and Marketing

  • wireless
  • rebuilt laptop
  • cell phone
  • storage
  • being visible
  • flyers
  • ad in campus paper [maybe via potty press?]
  • listed as location on library website, etc.
  • word of mouth
  • student listservs
  • chocolate

Referencing, E-Learning and the Faculty Librarian
Marleen van Wyk, JS Gericke Library Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Overview of libraries.

UFOs, Arabic Language and Culture, and Nanotechnology: An In-Depth Look at Access to Research and Subject Guides
Stephanie Alexander, Jennifer Gerke, Kathryn Lage, all of the University of Colorado at Boulder, CO

  • Why create a database?
    • the good guides were not on the subject guide list
    • wanted keyword searching, e.g., “affirmative action”
    • can use metadata to create better searching
    • able to have much better stats on what people are using/searching for
    • including FAQs, subject guides, course guides
  • Database design and development
    • inspired by projects at UM/UNC
    • cold fusion
    • mysql
    • data collection
      • internal DB reporting
      • webtrends
      • google analytics
    • has a search box because they perceive that students love search boxes (c.f. Jared Spool re: search boxes are bad)
  • what we’ve learned
      • not much consistency initially because they wanted librarians to be able to run with it
        • naming conventions, etc.
      • keyword analysis can prompt
        • metadata modification
        • addition of new guides
        • google analytics reliability issues
        • people use the DB to find guides
  • future enhancements and next steps
    • survey of CU-Boulder librarians
    • refresher training for librarians
    • usability study