In a local newspaper there was an article about how a business owner let high school students have whatever they wanted from his restaurant for a certain amount of time, provided they posted something on Twitter or Facebook about the product.

Could this idea be adapted to teaching students about the library? Maybe in a first year seminar or college success class or whatever you call it? Or even the orientation to the library for new students? Instead of a scavenger hunt or droning to students about all the VERY IMPORTANT things they need to know about the library, maybe have each student write a post or tweet about five things they discovered in the library and send the screen shot of their post as proof for grading the assignment. This activity could be combined with the computer skills class, with Intro to Business, or another class where the professor is willing to allow a combined assignment.

The activity could have guidelines for things that are off limits for credit – that the school has a library or whatever else you think is too general to count as learning. You could also assign bonus points to obscure facts – if a student tweets about a special collection that consists of five books and a photograph and is hidden behind a large plant. Or maybe assign one point to simple facts like library hours or names of library staff and more points to posts that show the student did something such as learned how to use the copier or requested an item through interlibrary loan.

Even if you didn't want to require students to have a Facebook or Twitter account, is there a school account they could post to, a school-specific social media they could use, or could you combine this assignment with teaching them how to set up a webpage or blog?

Depending on the time allowed, I think this activity could be used for library orientation, a one-shot class, or a semester-long class. It could even be adapted if you are teaching how to search a specific database. How do you think this idea could be used? What are some logistical problems you think would need to be addressed?

5 Hours

Near the end of my day, a professor asked me how to turn down the volume on the VCR speakers in the classroom across from the reference desk. I didn't know and the other librarian didn't know, so I called the person who works with Blackboard – not because I think she is the tech person, but because she is in the library and I know her and had her number.

She came to look at the VCR and neither of us could figure it out. We could see the volume bar move up and down on the projector, but nothing was happening to lesson the sound blasting from the speakers. She called the tech guys, they came, looked at the wires, rubbed their chins thoughtfully, and concluded they also didn't know what to do.

The professor went to Plan B and when I walked out of the room, my ears rang and whistled with pleasure at the normal decibel level they encountered.

Where is the copier?

Do you have a stapler I can use?

Where is the catalogue computer?

I need books on Tibetan Buddhism.

I need information on harp seals and PETA.

I need to check out.

How do use the catalogue?

I need a book about Vietnam War history.

How do I check out a book?

Where do the prints go?

How do I check out?

4 Hours

This was registration day. I didn't realize until I arrived that there were no classes. I thought that people would be scrambling for last minute articles and books before the long weekend, but few students came into the library. The ones that did come in were looking for a printer. Ours is waiting on a part and all the other computer labs were closed for the day. It was so slow that I left an hour early. I did learn that it is impossible to turn down the volume on the VCR speakers. They are at full blast and that is the only way they can be. We didn't bother to theorize on why the system was set up this way. 

I did send the director this blog post from Born Librarian. When I saw her later, she talked about using the decibel reader in our library, so at least I did something productive today.

I got to sit in on the meetings when the representative for our databases came to both the college and the public library. Of course, I know that the patrons in each library have different needs, but it provided a more specific perspective to listen to what the librarians who see the statistics talked about with the representative.

In the college library, specific databases are useful for class projects and having search features that make it easier to teach students how to use the databases are important. Students need to know how to search EBSCO and Gale databases. Here, students are expected to ask if they need help and librarians work to teach them the skills they need.

In the public library, patrons mostly use language, financial, and genealogy databases. Teaching them how to search EBSCO is less of a priority than having the information easily accessible. Although the librarians are happy to help someone learn how to search a database, it is more important that the website be designed to make it easier for someone to teach himself, and the more intuitive the process, the better.

Although nobody said it, I inferred that at the college library, the focus is to have where to find help most visible. At the college library, they teach people how to find information. At the public library, the focus is to have the information itself most visible. At the public library they use statistics to guess what information the most people will want and make that the most easily found. Like I said, nobody said as this in so many words, these are just the impressions I got from listening to the two meetings. 


Oh, and I asked the representative about not being able to search Open Library through the ebook category and she said they are aware of the problem, they want to work on it, but it is a complicated process to fix it. 

5 Hours

I took the iPad to the student center for an hour in the afternoon. I attracted notice, but no one came to ask me a question.

I need help finding an original research article for psychology class in the databases.

Can you help me with APA citations for my psychology project?

Where are the art books?

Where are the art books?

Where are the art books?

I need books on Celtic mythology and also on Nordic mythology. I also need Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

I need help with the databases to find an article for my psychology project.

Where are the art books?

Does the printer use money or the student card?

5 Hours

A representative from the databases available through the state library came and I got to attend the meeting. It was informative to hear her perspective and to talk about changes and options for the library to use the databases. Even better, I get to attend the meeting on Thursday at the public library, so I get to compare how an academic and a public library use the same resource.

I need a book on van Gogh that includes his paintings.

I need Josephus's books.*

Where are the automotive test study guides?

Where are the art books?

I need a research article for psychology class.

How do I check out books?

What is the school's federal code? How did you find the code?

It's still  not working. Is there another code?

Where can I made a copy?

Are there more computers?

Is this the call number?

*The student was in a hurry and I couldn't find anything in our catalogue, so asked him if ebooks were alright. He said yes, but I couldn't find any using the ebook search in our databases. I tried Project Gutenberg and found some titles, which satisfied the student, but I suspect they are not the titles his teacher was expecting him to find. I then checked Open Library, which is part of our database package and found Josephus, which is what I think the student truly needed. Then again, I could be injecting my own thoughts into the question and it actually doesn't matter which title the student reads.

What I want to know is, how come if I search the specific database, I find the book, but if I search the ebook category, which one would think searches all the ebook databases, the book doesn't show up? Anyway, good to know about this quirk for future reference. 

Computer Class (2 Hours, 2 Students)

I started by helping the first student with Facebook and understanding how his email notifications relate to what he sees on his Facebook page. When the second student came, I gave them a list of search questions, based on things we talked about in the past months. I told them to use their favorite search engine to find the answers.

Next to the questions, I had hints for where they could find the answer and told them to choose which questions most interested them, that they didn't have to go in order or try to answer every question. As they worked on the questions, I provided guidance when they got stuck and reminded them that the best information online will seldom be found by reading the search results page. I told them to use the search results as clues as to where the information might be, but that they need to take the time to click on a link and read the webpage. Sometimes you have click on three different pages before you find what you are looking for, so it is important to pay attention to the meaning of what you read and follow the clues.

I enjoyed teaching this class over the winter and definitely want to start another session in a few months when it is hot enough that people don't want to be inside. For now, I'm ready for a break and then will plan how I want to organize my next session.*
 

*These plans are Plan B or Plan Don't Put Your Life on Hold. Plan A or Plan What I Really Want is to be hired for a library job somewhere.

5 Hours

The morning was busy, then in the afternoon, I proctored a class. That is, I sat in the room and used the computer while the students did their work and then came up with a solution when they started asking what they were supposed to do with their assignments. I was under the impression that they were emailing their assignments, but that was silly of me because they didn't have computers in the room. The solution was simple enough - I put the papers in the professor's box and emailed her where they were.
 

I need a book on why serial killers kill.

Which library do I choose from the dropdown menu in the catalogue?

Can you help me find Of Mice and Men?

What does WLC stand for in the Gale resources?

How do I access databases from home?

I need books on McCarthyism.

I need books on anticommunism.

There is nobody at the circulation desk.

Is this book a scholarly work?

Where can I find a book on Pearl Harbor.

Can you help me find research articles for my psychology class? How do I tell that it is original research?

Can you help me find the section on autism?

How do I access JSTOR?

Can you help us find research articles on autism and learning?

I found an article with statistics, a methods section, and the title says "exploratory research." Does it sound like this is an original research article?

5 Hours

Where do I check out books?

I found an article in the databases, but the PDF won't load.

Can you look up a course number for me?

Do you have a section on nursing plans of care?

My course module won't load on Blackboard.

Do you have the assignment for Professor X? I still can't get into my Blackboard.

I need information on the Spartacus Rebellion. I also need information on social structures in high school, but not about bullying. *

* Even though "high school" and "social structures" are subject terms, the articles labeled with those subjects were less helpful than the ones found using the keyword search "popularity AND high school." 

Computer Class (1 student, 1.5 hours)

With this nice weather, attendance has fallen off. I've decided that next week will be the last week and then we'll pick up again when it's too hot for people to be outside.

I started by having the person read DuckDuckGo's explanation of a search bubble. I don't believe or try to convince people that they are lesser beings if they like the benefits that come from search engine tracking or don't care if their online activities are tracked, I only want them to be aware of how tracking impacts them. Once they have information, it is their responsibility to make the decision.

After talking about search result bubbles, I showed Company Profiles provided in the database package from the state library. Frustratingly, the one company the student wanted to look up, we couldn't find. We found all kinds of companies with the same or similar names, but they were all in different states and were labeled as being independent, not part of a chain. We couldn't find this large business, but we could find a business with less than 150 employees. Databases should make sense, especially when I'm trying to show their value. Grr.

If you were searching online for images of what to wear to a library interview, what words would you type into the search engine?

Answer in the comments. Let's see how different minds think about the same question!

5 Hours

I went to the Student Center from 1:00 – 2:00, taking my sign and the iPad. As I walked in, I scanned for a group to which to introduce myself and purpose. As I approached a rowdy group of students, I tried to decide whether it would be beneficial to interrupt them. I had about decide to leave them in peace when one of them called, "I like your hat!"

I stopped, thanked them, chatted a bit, and then introduced my purpose. They were politely receptive, even asking clarifying questions. I moved on, introduced myself to another group on the other side of the building, then set up at a table in the middle of the room.

I didn't get any questions this hour, but I did see people stop and read the sign or point it out to their friends. 

As I left the building, some of the same group was still around. When I walked past, one of them said to a new person, "There's the hat I was telling you about." The new person commented that she liked it. The first person told me that my hat is "bad a--." Crude language aside, those students totally made my day!  

When will you be in next week? I need help getting started on my research and feel more comfortable with you.

I need information on the famous X city lynching.

Where do I look up books?

5 Hours

Where are the art books?

I need information from the databases on educating the family of people with Alzheimer's.

Can you help me find the book "Assassination of Mckinley"? I'm not sure of the title; it's for someone else.

Can I get help finding history books?

Is the computer set up so that I can use the catalogue? It's on the college's home page.

Can you help me find this book on the shelves?

I need help finding scholarly sources of information on the Harlem Hell Fighters.

I need a research article for psychology class.

I need the name of a county school. I think it starts with "sweet." (The county school site does not have a findable list of schools. It only talks about budgets and the board and such.)

How do I find books from the information in the catalogue?

I need an article on recent changes in human resources. (The circulation staff told me this person commented on how much I had helped them. Always good to know people aren't pretending to be satisfied just to get away from my useless "help.")

Computer Class (2 Hours, 2 Students)

I started by helping one person post on his friend's Facebook wall. Then I introduced them to the idea of the hidden web. After that, we looked at the databases provided by the state library and talked about how much these cost and where the funding comes from.

We focused on the collection with state-specific information. We browsed two of the 26 databases. One person saw the link to state teaching jobs and said I should use that to get a job and they would provide good references for me.

The crime statistics were especially appealing to these students. They were eager to see how different crimes compared in different towns. I asked them what they thought about all this detailed, personal information on certain offenders being available to anyone.

In the second hour, we explored City-Data. I use this to check cost of living when I see a job opening in a city with which I am unfamiliar. I know the information is a few years old, but it gives me a better idea than not knowing anything. Because the site includes religious and political demographics, it also helps me get an idea of the kind of cultural system in the area. The students enjoyed seeing all the statistics available and we talked a little about how statistics can be misleading.