Tag, You're It: Hiring, Training, and Managing Student Assistants

Purpose – This paper aims to develop a better understanding of student worker perceptions of academic libraries in an effort to improve student worker training, position structure and, ultimately, their perceptions of the library. The value of student reference assistants extends well beyond the completion of assigned library tasks. Specifically, student reference assistants can be important community voices and advocates for academic libraries, spreading, by word-of-mouth, the kinds of library services available to students and their relevance to the academic community. Consequently, it is essential to gain an understanding of how student workers perceive the academic library as a result of their employment. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses an informal, anonymous online survey of student reference assistants to gather information on student worker perceptions of the library. Questions focus on student workers’ understanding of library services and resources as well as on the library’s mission and purpose. An analysis of student responses is provided in light of four “ideal” perceptions which the librarians hold for all students. Findings – Overall, student worker responses to the survey generally aligned with the ideal perceptions. However, misalignments suggest the need for training that focuses on the development of a broader understanding of the library’s role in the academic community. Practical implications – The paper can help academic librarians gain insight on how student workers understand the role of the library within the larger academic community and how positive student worker perceptions can be leveraged for outreach purposes. Originality/value – This paper examines an important aspect of student worker perception that has generally been overlooked in the literature.

Within library and academic spaces, communities of practice are employed to cultivate professional and academic skills, develop professional identities, and provide a supportive community. Using the example of a small cohort of student research assistants at a mid-sized public comprehensive university, this paper reflects on the intersections of communities of practice and peer-learning and discusses strategies for cultivating a community of practice with student assistants providing peer research support. This paper further explores student employment in academic libraries as a High Impact Practice with an emphasis on using the community of practice to integrate the characteristics of High Impact Practices into a student employment program.

ABSTRACTQuality service in libraries today extends beyond traditional reference service. At the University of Wisconsin-Stout Library Learning Center (Menomonie, Wisconsin), a customer service model was developed that embraces and combines information literacy provided by librarians, with technology literacy provided by trained student assistants, to enhance the total research project. The following article describes this Access to Learning Desk (ALD) model, including unique funding, hiring, training, responsibilities, and additional benefits associated with this service.

The integration of artificial intelligence technology in academic libraries has immensely elevated the image of their operations and services to users. This study investigates the perceived awareness and usefulness of artificial intelligence technology for library operations in Kwara State academic libraries. Descriptive survey design was adopted for this study and the population consisted of 108 librarians and paraprofessionals in all university libraries in Kwara State which are University of Ilorin, Kwara State university Malete, Al Hikmah University, Ojaja , University, Eyenkorin, Landmark University, Omu Aran, and Ahmad Pategi University, Patigi. A total enumeration technique was employed and questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. Data collected wewre analysed with frequency counts and simple percentages. Findings revealed that AI Robots, AI chatbots, face recognition technology, virtual references, Humanoids, Dynamed and AI expert systems are the AI technologies the respondents were highly aware of. The respondents perceived the usefulness of AI technologies for efficient library operations such as AI chatbots can be useful for reference services, AI can used for cataloguing and classification of library materials, AI drone surveillance can be used for library security, AI expert search tools for information search, AI can be useful for automating library routines. The findings also revealed the challenges of artificial intelligence technology integration to library operations to includes potential loss of job, high risk of maintenance, inadequate internet service provision, technical problems, epileptic electricity or power supply, and Inadequate ICT facilities for AI technologies. This study concluded that the librarians in university libraries in Kwara State are aware of AI technology and perceived the usefulness of its integration to library operations. It also recommends that AI technologies such as robots, chatbots, and expert systems should be integrated to libraries in other to provide top-notch services to their users.

This qualitative descriptive study explored what community college administrators and faculty described as being effective recruitment and retention methods for faculty at community colleges in the Northeastern United States. This study answered two research questions: what recruitment methods do administrators and American faculty at community colleges describe as being effective in the recruitment of American faculty? Also, what retention methods do administrators and American faculty at community colleges describe as being effective in the retention of American faculty? The researcher applied critical race theory to form a framework for best practices in recruiting and retaining American faculty. Data were obtained by interviewing six American faculty and surveying seven community college administrators employed at Massachusetts community colleges who were selected using purposive sampling and community college online staff directories. Using MAXQDA data analysis software, the researcher initiated data analysis using thematic analysis. Data were organized and analyzed to identify codes, categories, and themes. Data analysis resulted in six themes: hiring processes, faculty diversity, recruitment strategies, work environment, student and faculty relationships, and retention strategies. The findings of this study can benefit community college personnel by recommending recruitment and retention strategies to effectively recruit and retain American faculty. There was limited research and data available related to the recruitment and retention of African American male faculty at community colleges. The faculty and administrator participants of this study provided rich data on effective recruitment and retention methods for African American male faculty at community colleges. The critical race theory theoretical framework was summarized. Theoretical and practical implications emerged. Based on the data and new insights, implications for future research were discussed.

The transition from printed to digital culture has fundamentally changed the approaches, forms and methods (or products and services) that university and academic libraries use for information support of scientific research. Activity of library-information network of the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS), organized in the era of printed culture as a three-level system, is undergoing significant changes in connection with the development of digital technologies, scientific communications and reforming of the RAS. These circumstances required the creation of a new model of the library network as an actual information-communication channel, firstly, the way to preserve the accumulated traditional collections. The purpose of this article is to show the advance model for academic library system or network operating within a single complex scientific organizational structure, with their unique printed book collections. To build the model, the author used data on the information behaviour of researchers from the SB RAS, collected through questionnaires, data on the activity trends of university libraries, presented on their websites and in peer-reviewed journals, as well as monitoring data of the activities of scientific libraries. The author took into account both general external factors (information behaviour of users of scientific information, organizational changes in library networks, current trends and experience of scientific research support by academic and university libraries, changes in the scientific environment) and internal (specific) factors related to the reforming of the RAS. The article describes two stages of reorganization of the current model of library-information network of the SB RAS. The article shows how the new model radically changes the old one, as it transforms the structure of resources and collections, the functions of libraries and demonstrates the development trends of competences and skills of library staff.

Online education is the fastest growing form of course delivery of higher education in the United States. It has revolutionized how students and instructors interact in the educational process. Yet students in online courses continue to experience higher attrition rates than their counterparts in traditional face-to-face classes despite the advantages offered by the technology. This study examined the impact that institutional policies and practices at community colleges in the state of Texas have had on student persistence in online courses. It also examined how institutions collect and use data in addressing students' attrition. The findings were used to identify the most effective institutional practices to share with community college systems in Texas in an effort to improve student persistence in online courses across the state. The population for the study consisted of the 50 public two-year community college and the technical college systems in the state of Texas. The study used a mixed method. A theoretical model of institutional impact on online persistence was drawn from the literature review. This model's five categories were then used to construct a survey to collect data on institutional practices and measure the effectiveness in addressing student persistence. Four college systems were identified using the survey data that best met the five categories. Interviews were then conducted at these four college systems to produce case studies of these institutions' practices and experiences with online persistence. The results highlighted the roles that institutions play in promoting student persistence in online programs. They revealed differences in the ways institutions define and track student success in online programs and the difficulty these differences pose in comparatively evaluating various institutions' programs. Results lent support to the theoretical model of institutional impact on online persistence that was developed for this study, and results yielded a proposed list of promising practices to enhance student persistence in online programs in public two-year community and technical colleges.

This study investigated the perceived influence of library automation on the job performance of library staff in academic libraries in Benue State, Nigeria.Two specific objectives with corresponding research questions guided the study and two hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance.The study adopted a survey research design.The target population for this study was 241 library staff made up of librarians and library staff in the three university libraries in Benue State.Since the population was not large, the study made use of all the 241 library staff in the three universities.The instrument for data collection was a self-developed structured questionnaire titled "Library Automation and Job Performance Questionnaire" (LAJPQ).Data collected was analyzed using Means and Standard Deviation to answer the research questions and Chi-Square Statistic to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance.Findings of the study revealed that, surveillance security camera and OPAC have perceived positive influence on the job performance of library staff of academic libraries in Benue State.The study concluded that, automation of library operations in academic libraries in Benue State has greatly enhanced the job performance of library staff.Recommendations were made among others that, academic libraries yet to acquire surveillance security camera to monitor theft and library operation should take drastic efforts in doing so.With such development, workload on library staff will be greatly reduced and thus enhance their job performance.

A Review of the Literature on Assessment in Academic and Research Libraries, 2005 to August 2011 Jon R. Hufford (bio) Introduction Assessment in United States higher education has become very important in recent years. Virtually all colleges and universities are now striving to prove through empirical evidence that they are committed to improving student learning. Created in late 2005, the US Department of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education was charged with the task of "developing a strategy for higher education to meet the needs of America's population and address the economic and workforce needs of the future."1 The Commission's final report, A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of United States Higher Education, makes several recommendations for reform and states in a summary that "improved accountability is vital to ensuring the success of all the other reforms we propose. Colleges and universities must become more transparent about cost, price, and student success outcomes, and must willingly share this information with students and families." Though the report was not an early wake-up call for assessment, since articles on the need and importance of assessment in higher education had been published in the literature before 2006,2 it was an important document on the topic from a political and administrative perspective and has had a significant impact on campuses across the nation. This is because, in response to the Commission's report, the regional accreditation organizations made changes in their standards, and these changes have been directly responsible for the trend toward assessment. As might be expected, some of the standards of several of these regional organizations relate to academic libraries and have changed the way they are assessed. This article reviews the literature on assessment in academic and research libraries that has been published since the Commission on the Future of Higher Education was created in 2005 and up until August 2011. Much has been written about assessment [End Page 5] over the years. The author felt that coverage of the literature of the most recent six years would include sources that would still be reasonably relevant for academic professionals in 2011. The author was also interested in providing an examination of the coverage since the Commission's report to disclose new developments, ideas, and directions in the assessment of academic and research libraries. Also, to offer a competent and manageable review of the literature, the article focuses on assessments concerned with the management or administration of libraries and their collections, public services, and issues or projects affecting more than one department within a library. Assessments in the acquisitions and technical services areas have been excluded. The author's goal was to treat the topic comprehensively. However, some sources were not considered significant enough to be included, and it is possible that other sources that perhaps should have been included were inadvertently left out. A representative selection of noteworthy older monographs and textbooks generally recognized for their contribution to academic and research library assessment has been included, along with a selection of publications on assessment in higher education that provides a more comprehensive perspective of the topic. Though the majority of the sources reviewed in this article were published in the United States and cover developments in the United States, some sources published in international or foreign publications that cover developments in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, or South Africa were included because they discuss developments similar to those taking place in American academic and research libraries and provide important insights into the topic. Assessment is often equated with evaluation. To education professionals, assessment occurs when a researcher wants to discover what a student knows or can do, while evaluation is used to determine the value of a course or program. Authors of books focused on academic and research libraries normally use evaluation when they discuss the measurement (or evaluation) of a library's operations and services. In The Measurement and Evaluation of Library Services, F.W. Lancaster explains in his definition of evaluation that it "consists of the comparison of performance with the objectives of the agency, in order to determine (a) whether there has been any change in performance for a...

The Benefits and Challenges of Working in an Academic Library: A Study of Student Library Assistant Experience

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the critical success factors for total quality management implementation and implications for sustainable academic libraries in Ghana. This study is part of a PhD project that focussed on selected technical university libraries in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a quantitative approach to collect the data. Samples of 124 participants were involved in this study. PLS-SEM (Smart PLS3) software was used to analyse the data. Convergent, discriminant validity assessment was computed. Eight variables of critical success factors were tested in relation to total quality management implementation at selected academic libraries in Ghana.FindingsThis study established that out of the eight variables tested, six of them (i.e. top management commitment, employee innovation employee training, organisational culture, teamwork and effective communication, quality performance) indicated a significant positive relationship with total quality management implementation apart from strategic planning and human resource management.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was limited to eight variables as the critical success factors mentioned in the previous paragraph. The use of one methodology might be a limitation as the use of multimethod might have given a more comprehensive picture than the case. This study was limited to only technical university libraries in Ghana hence caution must be exercised when applying the results to contextually different academic environments. The results are applicable to academic universities library in Ghana and beyond if they are adjusted to suit the context.Practical implicationsThis study is timely as it may lead to effective total quality management implementation and the sustainability of technical university libraries in Ghana and Africa in general.Originality/valueThe proposed model can be used to enhance the smooth implementation of total quality management in academic libraries in general and Ghana in particular. The framework is termed as Eddie and Pat's Achievement of Quality Performance (EPAfQP) model.

Involving undergraduate students in cognitive aging research requires extra efforts not associated with graduate assistants. However, if the researcher acknowledges the limited experience of undergraduates in structuring their participation, the rewards are copious for the students and researcher alike. This paper describes undergraduate student assistance in a research project supported by a National Institutes of Health Academic Research Enhancement Award grant. This is a funding mechanism tailored for 4-year teaching institutions that requires undergraduate involvement in all phases of the work. Descriptions of the researcher's institution, academic program, and student characteristics are given. Next, the recruitment and initial training of student assistants are explained. The training is tailored to provide all student assistants with a rigorous conceptual background in the research area, regardless of their ultimate responsibilities in the project. Various specializations within the project are then described, along with the student skills they require. Finally, the author reflects on this project as a growth experience of his own. Despite the special considerations needed to succeed in engaging undergraduates, the returns in the form of student growth are manifold.

Purpose This study aims to assess the effectiveness of online e-resource marketing tools used by university libraries to market e-resources. The specific objectives of this study were to uncover the e-resources that are showcased by university libraries, find out instructions posted by libraries to facilitate access and utilization of e-resources, examine marketing tools used, examine how current and relevant marketing messages and test the functionality of the marketing tools used. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory research design was used to assess the effectiveness of e-resources marketing tools. The study population included all public university libraries in Tanzania. The sample was purposively selected to include all publicly funded libraries as they work under similar management environments. Data collection involved the evaluation of online marketing tools using a matrix checklist. Findings It was revealed that most university libraries use websites for showcasing e-resources. The commonly used social media for marketing e-resources is Facebook followed by Instagram while Twitter and Ask a Librarian are the least used. The results further show that only a few universities provide instructions on how to access and use e-resources. The findings indicate that universities had active communication platforms for marketing e-resources. Furthermore, less than 50% of marketing messages are active and current. It is recommended that marketing e-resources should be integrated into the library’s plans and strategies and this should be informed by library policies. Research limitations/implications Given that, this study involved Tanzanian public university libraries, it is possible that the findings do not represent the same situation in all academic university libraries in the nation. Originality/value This study assesses the effectiveness of online tools used to market e-resources in university libraries in Tanzania. It reveals the e-resources that are showcased online, the instructions provided on how to access the e-resources and the functionality of the marketing tools. Unlike the previous research, which primarily focused on evaluating the Web-based tools in university and college libraries, this study focused on public libraries in the country. The results will not only contribute to the theoretical and practical understanding of the functionality of the marketing tools but also provide actionable insights to decision-makers in libraries in marketing their e-resources.

Every academic or university library tries its best to cater to the users to get information relevant to the users’ subject areas. To fulfill that target, academic libraries use various media to cater to their users best. The use of social media sites is one of the best ways to share knowledge with users. The present study was based on the State Universities of Sri Lanka, and it was conducted to find out first the available social media sites in academic libraries in Sri Lanka and then the most popular social media sites that used to share knowledge and information among user community in the respective university communities. There are eighteen state university in Sri Lanka. It was the population of the study. The websites of all the state universities and their faculties were selected as the sample of the study. This is a survey study and summative content analysis was used to collect data for the study. After analyzing data, it was clearly identified that Facebook was the most popular social media platform that is being used to share information about the library, programs of the library as well as the mother institute.

Academic libraries have transformed drastically from MARC and circulation desk to metadata and web information, print collection and inter library loans to online databases and e-resources, quiet areas to learning and knowledge commons, bibliographic instruction to information literacy and life-long learning, information management to knowledge management and so on. Accordingly, the roles of academic librarians have changed radically at both library practitioners and library school educators’ levels. They are no more traditional information protectors and managers. Open access, knowledge management, digital scholarship, institutional repositories are all often owned by the libraries and the librarians. “KM as a fad is dead. But KM as a means for organizations to grow stronger and more productive in a climate of uncertainty is gaining ground” (Knowledge Management Research Centre, 2010). The above phrase caught eye and it is self-explanatory. Indeed KM is no more a fad, but a reality to be productive and a means to gain and sustain a competitive edge over rivals in all areas of life. In this global economy which is knowledge based, economic activities have shifted from people working with their hands to people working with their heads, from tangible resources like steel to intangible resources like knowledge (Davenport 2002 in Boom, & Pimentel, 2009). Academic libraries are no exception to this change. As “Academic libraries are information centers established in support of the mission of their parent institutions to generate knowledge, and people equipped with knowledge in order to serve the society and advance the wellbeing of mankind” (Raja, Ahmad, Sinha, 2009:701). The main functions of academic libraries are to support the mission and vision of their parent institutions. To fulfill this function academic libraries have to evolve as their parent institutions’ mission, vision and information needs change. Thus, Knowledge management has been recognized as vital by all 21st century information professionals, who have evolved from traditional cataloguer and reference librarians to value adding service providers, teacher librarians and, most recently, knowledge managers. This study was initiated in the above background, with a main purpose to investigate the KM practices in university libraries in SADC countries. Since university libraries are academic libraries, the words university and academic are used interchangeably, but the study is limited to university libraries.