Tag Archives: first year experience

Together in the Same (Zoom) Room: Building Campus Community Around First-Year Writing and Information Literacy Through a Collaborative Online Forum

Peer-Reviewed Article,

By Carl Hess
First Year Experience Librarian
Assistant Professor
University of Memphis

Ashley Roach-Freiman
Library Instruction Curriculum Coordinator
Assistant Librarian
University of Memphis

Abstract

Collaboration between academic libraries and multiple academic and non-academic campus units can be complex—even when different units are all working to solve similar issues, such as supporting the first-year writer. Breaking down the silos inherent to higher education institutions is essential to providing students with the support they need. This paper describes how one academic library sought to improve connections with multiple campus units to support first-year student writing and research skills during the COVID-19 pandemic through an online roundtable designed to brainstorm relevant collaborative projects. The authors share details on the creation of the roundtable, how participants felt about the nature of the collaboration through a feedback survey, and ongoing progress on the projects that were developed as a result of the event.

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Student Educators as Facilitators of Learning: A Model for Peer Education in Academic Library Instruction

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , ,

By Jonathan Cornforth, Reference and Instruction Librarian
and
Sarah Parramore, Reference and Instruction Librarian
Pollak Library
California State University, Fullerton

Peer-to-peer support has become a cornerstone of learning across various levels and areas of education. Its impact can be felt in many settings; not least of which is an academic library. There has been no lack of experimentation and successful implementation of peer education and related learning models within such spaces. Over time, libraries have helped innovate such forms of learning as they target specific courses and students.

In this vein, library instruction practices are amenable to adaptation. Instructors and various other stakeholders continue to seek out and implement new ways of delivering content which incorporates authentic approaches and pedagogies suited to today’s learner. This includes such innovations as High Impact Practices and other experiential approaches designed to engage students within the context of peer education. Library instruction has been and will continue to advance peer-to-peer engagement practices within various classroom settings.

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Teach Where They Live: New Opportunities for Library Instruction and Outreach in Residence Halls

Essay, , , ,

By Michelle Bishop
Acting Coordinator of Reference
Penfield Library, State University of New York, Oswego

It was 7:30 p.m. and the student actors were beginning to arrive to review their roles for the “Experience World Libraries” workshop that would start in 30 minutes. As a live-in Faculty Resident Mentor in Hart Hall at SUNY Oswego, I had designed the workshop as an experiential learning activity meant to illustrate the critical role libraries around the world play in facilitating access to information. It was rewarding to see that after going through the three scenarios, students were actively discussing the impact that limited access to information has on societies. Two years later, I can still say this has been one of the most exciting teaching experiences I have had as an instructional librarian. It is important to point out that this experience occurred in a residence hall and not a traditional classroom. This workshop and other residential outreach experiences I have designed are as a result of the educational mission of Residence Life and Housing on the SUNY Oswego campus. Like Oswego, an educational focus is a key element of residential life missions on other campuses. As such, there is exciting potential for wide-ranging instructional outreach opportunities for librarians in campus residential settings.

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