scholarly journals From Bricks and Mortar to Bits and Bytes: Examining the Changing State of Reference Services at the University of Toronto Libraries During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Madeline Gerbig ◽  
Kathryn Holmes ◽  
Mai Lu ◽  
Helen Tang
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Online Tools ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Reference Service ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Rapid Transition ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The University

Before the pandemic, the University of Toronto was predominantly an in-person experience. The closure of physical libraries and shift to remote learning required library staff and users to adapt to new modes of supporting teaching, learning, and research. A survey was conducted about reference service delivery, staffing models, resources and tools, which asked the respondents to describe reference services at their libraries before and during the pandemic. The objectives of this survey were to capture the state of reference services at the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL), and to compare data about reference practices during the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods with the goal of identifying challenges and opportunities for the future of reference services at UTL. 70% of libraries surveyed used reference desks for reference services pre-pandemic, and during the pandemic, 75% of libraries used virtual reference appointments by video conferencing. The survey results show that reference service staffing and service hours in most surveyed libraries were reduced during the pandemic. Many respondents reported that while they offered fewer reference service hours during the pandemic, they continued to provide assistance outside of scheduled hours. Online tools and platforms that were already familiar to librarians remained popular during the pandemic, allowing service providers to quickly adapt to the virtual environment and ensure seamless service continuity. While the rapid transition in services at the University of Toronto was not without its challenges, it has also offered many new opportunities for re-envisioning reference services at the University of Toronto Libraries.

scholarly journals Specialized Reference Services at Illinois: Reference Transactional Analysis and Its Implications for Service Providers and Administrators

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Lenkart ◽  
Jen-chien Yu
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Question Type ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Reference Service ◽  
Specialized Service ◽  
Service Environments ◽  
The University

As reference service environments continue to evolve, service providers and administrators are encountering numerous challenges and opportunities. This article examines the specialized reference services at the University of Illinois. Using reference transactional data from two academic years (69,630 transactions), this study focuses on five specialized service points and two general service points. Moreover, this study analyzed READ Scale scores, duration of the transaction, question type, and subject area covered during these transactions.

scholarly journals Reference Evaluation: A Three-Step Approach—Surveys, Unobtrusive Observations, and Focus Groups

2000 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 546-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaina Norlin
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Wrong Answer ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
University Of Arizona ◽  
Reference Service ◽  
The Right ◽  
The University ◽  
Unobtrusive Observation

Traditional reference service, where the librarian gives the patron the right or wrong answer to a question, has slowly begun to change. With the emergence of electronic resources, digitalization, Web resources, and full text, many students need more of a consultation on where to get started than on which option is correct. Librarians at the University of Arizona Libraries strive to help students gain user sufficiency and information literacy. When on the reference desk, they tend to teach rather than do the work for the students. As the libraries are customer centered, it was decided to conduct an evaluation of its reference services. The evaluation involved using a combination of surveys, focus groups, and unobtrusive observation worksheets with a small sample of students. The results were very meaningful.

scholarly journals MEDIA KOMUNIKASI SEBAGAI AKSES LAYANAN REFERENSIVIRTUAL DI PERPUSTAKAAN UNIVERSITAS INDONESIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-36
Author(s):  
Lailatur Rahmi
Keyword(s):  
Information Needs ◽  
Communication Media ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Virtual Reference ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Reference Service ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
The University

AbstractThe Reference Service is one of the library services designed to assist the users of the library in meeting their information needs. The development of reference services is, especially, important in the tertiary educational institutions. The growth of incredible information and technological developments decline the number of users of the printed reference collections ; there are pros and cons when it comes to the technology that, supposedly, make things easier and practical. The study aims to describe the usefulness of communication media in virtual reference services at the University of Indonesia Library. The results of the study illustrate that the University of Indonesia library has provided communication media as access to virtual reference services through various communication media due to the influence of the development of technological sophistication  

scholarly journals Layanan referensi sebagai representasi perpustakaan perguruan tinggi

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Irwin Pratama Putra ◽  
Indira Irawati
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Community Service ◽  
User Perception ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
Reference Service ◽  
The University

This study discusses whether the reference service owned by the Universitas Indonesia (UI) Library can be used as a representation of other college libraries. This representation can be seen based on user perception in the University of Indonesia Library of the reference service and also seen from the strategy undertaken by the University of Indonesia Library in improving the quality of their reference service. This research is a qualitative research using case study method. The results of this study indicate that the reference service Library University of Indonesia can be used as a representation of the library of universities, because the University of Indonesia Library managed to make their reference services become more active and more innovative by bringing various innovations in it to get closer to the user. In addition, users also express their opinions regarding reference services in the University of Indonesia Library, this will further strengthen the purpose of this research is a reference service as a representation of the University of Indonesia Library. It is expected that with the innovation made by UI Library to its reference service will make the reference service become the representation of the library itself especially from the user side, because the representation of the reference service is very important to realize the main purpose of university in Indonesia known as Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi is education, research and community service.

scholarly journals Relating human physiology content to COVID-19: a strategy to keep students in touch with physiology in times of social distance due to pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-133
Author(s):  
Niege Alves ◽  
Guilherme Salgado Carrazoni ◽  
Caroline Bitencourt Soares ◽  
Ana Carolina de Souza da Rosa ◽  
Náthaly Marks Soares ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Physiology ◽  
Scientific Content ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Online Tools ◽  
The Social ◽  
Web Course ◽  
Current Events ◽  
Health Sciences Students ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The University

In 2020 universities had to quickly implement remote education alternatives as a result of the social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep students engaged with the university, we implemented a teaching-learning model that relates physiology contents to the COVID-19 pandemic using online educational platforms. A 1-mo web course was proposed for health sciences students from the Federal University of Pampa. It included synchronous meetings twice a week and asynchronous activities using scientific articles, case studies, and interactive online tools. The students approved the methodology developed, assessing it as dynamic and innovative. They reported that the activity helped to better understand the relations between COVID-19 and physiological systems. The web course also contributed to the identification of reliable sources of news and stimulated the sharing of scientific content with their families. We concluded that the use of online platforms contextualizing the physiology content considering current events helps students in learning human physiology and improves their abilities to apply this information to their daily life, in this specific case, regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Implications for academic integrity of using web 2.0 for teaching, learning and assessment in higher education

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Waycott ◽  
Kathleen Gray ◽  
Rosemary Clerehan ◽  
Margaret Hamilton ◽  
Joan Richardson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Academic Integrity ◽  
Communication Styles ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Assessment In Higher Education ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The University

Student web 2.0 authoring in higher education involves a number of challenges and opportunities for assessment and academic integrity. In this article we describe an Australian project that is investigating how lecturers are using web 2.0 activities in university assessment tasks. In the first stage of the project we documented current web 2.0 assessment practices by conducting a survey and interviews with lecturers who teach in different discipline areas across Australia. Initial findings from this stage of the project are presented here, with a focus on using examples from the interviews to illustrate the opportunities and challenges that web 2.0 affordances introduce for learning, teaching, and assessment in higher education. Student authoring in web 2.0 environments can be quite different from traditional academic writing tasks. Using web 2.0 technologies, students can publish their work to an open audience, use different communication styles and texts, draw on their unique personal identity and experiences, co-create content with other students, and manage their content outside the confines of the university. Each of these affordances provides opportunities for enhancing students' learning in higher education, while simultaneously imposing new ways of thinking about scholarly writing and assessment that can be challenging for both students and staff.

scholarly journals Realizing Partnership Potential: A Report on a Formal Collaboration Between a Teaching and Learning Centre and Libraries at the University of Toronto

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Bolan ◽  
Patricia Bellamy ◽  
Carol Rolheiser ◽  
Joanna Szurmak ◽  
Rita Vine
Keyword(s):  
Student Success ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Teaching Support ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The University

In 2010, the University of Toronto’s Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI) and University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) jointly launched Partnering for Academic Student Success (PASS), a partnership to foster new opportunities for collaboration between academic librarians and those involved in developing excellence in university teaching. This article describes the challenge of professional education in support of the teaching mission for librarians, and a partnership designed to address this need.  The article reports on the genesis, goals, and key principles contributing to the partnership’s success, while discussing implications and recommendations for those seeking to develop similar programs of intentional collaboration that enable teaching/learning goals.

scholarly journals The factors effecting entrepreneurial intention of university students: case of Mongolia

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 01034
Author(s):  
Altanchimeg Zanabazar ◽  
Sarantuya Jigjiddorj
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intention ◽  
Subjective Norms ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Personal Attitude ◽  
Interesting Topic ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The University

Small and medium sized businesses with entrepreneur orientation have been developing rapidly creating wealth for the nations and often become large global enterprises. The researches on the entrepreneur intention, entrepreneur education, attitude as well as the factors affecting to them are getting popular. Simultaneously, the study on whether the university is nurturing the entrepreneur intention, attitude or boosts students’ willingness starting their own businesses has been remaining an interesting topic. The current study aimed at researching various factors affecting the entrepreneur intention, attitude of the students, subjective norms, entrepreneur education, and perceived behaviour control using sample survey involving 568 university students. The survey results demonstrated that the personal attitude had an influence on entrepreneur intention and the participants expressed their willingness starting their own businesses having an awareness on prospective challenges and opportunities. The determinants such as subjective norms and perceived behaviour control had both positive impacts on becoming an entrepreneur; however, an entrepreneur education demonstrated a slight impact in entrepreneur intention.

Research at the Centre for Educational Research on Languages and Literacies (CERLL) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT)

2013 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 560-563
Author(s):  
Robert Kohls ◽  
Jennifer Shade Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Educational Research ◽  
Indigenous Languages ◽  
Graduate Studies ◽  
Name Change ◽  
Curriculum Assessment ◽  
Modern Language ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
New Name ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The University

After more than 40 years as the Modern Language Centre, members of the Centre decided to rename ourselves as the Centre for Educational Research on Languages and Literacies (CERLL), to better reflect our current activities and interests. We officially launched the new name for the Centre at a reception on 22 October 2010, and produced a compilation of recent publications by members of the Centre to mark the event. Our interests in research and graduate studies remain fundamentally as they have been for decades, focused on theories and practices in teaching, learning, curriculum, assessment, and policies related to English and French as second or international languages as well as other international, minority, heritage, or indigenous languages. The name change does signal a broadening of perspectives to include research on various forms and types of literacies, though we do not claim to be ‘post-modern’ in doing so.

scholarly journals Field Experiences Provide Value for Library Students, but More Research Is Needed into Their Administration

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Ann Medaille
Keyword(s):  
Information Science ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Professional Skills ◽  
Reference Service ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The University ◽  
Postal Mail

Objective – To evaluate an eight-week practicum requirement for library and information science students. Design – Survey questionnaire. Setting – The University of the Punjab and participating libraries in Pakistan. Subjects – A total of 118 graduates of the library and information science program at the University of the Punjab who had completed an eight-week-long practicum experience in a public, academic, or special library between 2002 and 2006. Methods – Snowball sampling was used to select the subjects. Surveys were delivered and collected through personal visits, email, and postal mail, and the authors asked follow-up questions of some subjects whose surveys were collected in person. The survey contained questions about several topics, such as the type of professional tasks (e.g., acquisition, circulation, reference service, etc.) that students did during the practicum, professional skills developed, practicum length, comfort in sharing problems with supervisors, and the evaluation process. The authors used statistical analysis software (SPSS, version 12) to analyze the survey results. Main Results – The majority of subjects reported that they had received the opportunity to train in several sections and functions of the library, and they felt that the practicum was important in improving their professional skills. Most reported being comfortable sharing problems with their supervisors and were satisfied with the evaluation process. The survey also included open-ended questions about problems and suggestions, but only 28% of the subjects responded with comments. Conclusion – The authors concluded that the library practicum plays an important role in the professional development of future library professionals, and that the length of the practicum should be extended from its current eight-week requirement.

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