Leaving the Library: How We Improved Information Literacy by Joining Our User Communities Joel Scheuher Business Librarian University of Michigan Ross School of Business jscheuhe@umich.edu Nadine Anderson Behavioral Sciences and Women’s & Gender Studies Librarian University of Michigan-Dearborn nfanders@umich.edu University of Michigan-Dearborn Why Leave?  Liaison librarians in library offices  Reactive: respond to IL requests  Standardized one-shot sessions  Service provider  Reference questions down  Library building = study space  Becoming irrelevant to program and campus student learning goals The Solution? Join our user communities Models:  David Shumaker: The Embedded Librarian: Innovative Strategies for Taking Knowledge Where It’s Needed  R. David Lankes: The New Librarianship Field Guide; Atlas of New Librarianship The Solution? “When people have an information need they’ll always ask people they know before they ask a librarian. The trick is making sure that librarians are some of the people they know.” – Jessamyn West (pg. 83, Atlas of New Librarianship) Joining User Communities: Process  Office among faculty offices  60% user community/40% library split  Posted office hours  On program email lists  Marketing Joining User Communities: Strategies  Be proactive – don’t wait to be asked  Entrepreneurial mindset  Informal needs assessment  Troubleshooting mode  Embrace serendipitous opportunities for partnership Information Literacy Partnerships Customized, Value-Added Collaborative Partnerships:  Strategically placed in courses throughout the curriculum  Embedded in courses and course management sites  Develop and teach program-specific IL credit course  Online IL tutorial development  Course and assignment redesign projects to incorporate IL  Honors and Graduate program research consultant Information Literacy Outcomes  Significantly higher number of student and faculty interactions  LibGuide use significantly higher  Students score significantly higher on evaluating sources compared to students in one-shots  Pre-tests and post-tests indicate significant student skill development: – developing strong research questions – evaluating and selecting sources – using sources to build evidence and arguments – synthesizing sources – citing sources Kresge Library Ross School of Business University of Michigan Kresge Library & Ross School Background  100% digital library  7.5 reference librarians + 1 director Kresge Library & Ross School Background  4,068 students (Fall 2018)  Programs – Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) – Master of Business Administration (MBA) – Master of Supply Chain Management (MSCM) – Master of Management (MM) – Master of Accounting (MAcc) – PhD Action-Based Learning Action-Based Learning  Learning by doing – Students are put in real-world situations, guided by faculty, with real stakes  No case study with guidance questions – Teams work with real deadlines and uncertainty – Teams present a solution to the organization that is sponsoring the project Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP) Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP)  Teams of students analyze business problems or opportunities and make recommendations for improvements – Students (4-6 per team) – Sponsor (companies, nonprofits, NGOs, government organizations) – Faculty advisor – Travel advisor – Communication advisor – Research expert (librarian) Action-Based Learning (ABL) Programs MAP Programs • MBA MAP • Full-time (85 projects) • Part-time • Evening (10 projects) • Weekend (25 projects) • Online (TBD) • Global (10 projects) • Executive (25 projects) • Ann Arbor, MI (16) • Los Angeles, CA (9) • Capstone MAP: BBA and Master of Mgmt. (40 projects) Other ABL Examples • Classes • ES 395 Entrepreneurial Management • TO 300 Business Information Systems • Strat 492 Dynamic Capabilities Through Corporate Development • Real Experiences in ABL (REAL) • Michigan Business Challenge • Maize and Blue Fund • Erb Impact Projects • Zell Entrepreneurs • Sanger Leadership Crisis Challenge • Clubs, competitions, etc. Los Angeles MAP  Part of the Executive MBA Program  Launched in 2012  Students are usually working full-time in various industries LA MAP – Background LA MAP - Overview  Usually 8-10 student teams  Students, professors, and librarians convene 3 times during the fall semester LA MAP – Librarian Role  1ST visit (late Oct. or early Nov.) – Formal one hour presentation on the afternoon of the first day  Showcase library databases  Customize examples to the sponsors’ proposals – Visits to each team in their breakout rooms  Each librarian has 4-5 teams  Sit in on the sponsor presentation/meeting  Gather preliminary requests based on team meetings with the sponsor – Dinner with entire cohort LA MAP – Librarian Role  2ND visit (late Nov.) – Continue to visit teams in their breakout rooms  Some teams may be traveling to sponsor locations  Address new requests based on shifting team priorities  3RD visit (mid Dec.) – Attend the final presentations – Wrap up dinner with faculty and support staff  Between visits – Respond to the flood of information requests via email  We live, eat, and mingle with the students – Research is customized for the LA user community  We get to meet the sponsors and hear their presentations – Better understanding of the project scope LA MAP – Engaging Place and Service LA MAP – Outcomes  Information literacy outcomes – Students have a much better understanding of resources and library services – Students come back for library help in subsequent classes  “I wish I had known about the library earlier in the program.” – Students learn of other services, i.e. career and job search assistance LA MAP – Outcomes  More information requests per team – 8.0 per AA team, 11.4 per LA team  Library recognition – Teams acknowledge librarian contributions during final presentations – Sponsors and the faculty advisors learn about our contributions – Faculty become advocates of the library  Our research expertise is marketed as a competitive advantage to our MBA program  Faculty highly encourage the use of our services – Faculty can justify the travel cost to administration LA MAP – Takeaways  One-shot presentations followed by one-on-one meetings lead to much higher usage  Living with the user community is a great way to understand their needs – Librarians are available and approachable – Feedback is immediate and in-person – Questions are more thoughtful and impactful  Since the library is 100% online, it frees up the librarians to venture into the user community  Having a physical human presence is important in a virtual world – It’s all about relationship building Benefits  IL initiatives aligned with user community goals and needs  Meaningful IL initiatives have high impact on student IL learning  Valuable partner to faculty in problem-solving and meeting user community goals  Easier and more motivating for students to consult  Success snowballs Challenges  Success snowballs out of control  Balancing program and library  Out of some librarian comfort zone and skill sets Solutions  Stay strategic!  Set clear boundaries  Provide support, training, and resources Questions? Joel Scheuher Business Librarian University of Michigan Ross School of Business jscheuhe@umich.edu Nadine Anderson Behavioral Sciences and Women’s & Gender Studies Librarian University of Michigan-Dearborn nfanders@umich.edu