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Library Instruction Committee - Staff Only

Paul G. St-Pierre
Undergraduate Services Librarian
Monday, September 16, 2002

Report on 1st Year Student Orientation Pilot Programme

Students participating in the 2001 Signage Committee study suggested that an orientation program for new students, taking place in August before Orientation week, would be a valuable learning experience (Signage Committee Report: Dana Porter Library Signage & the New User, Recommendation #6, http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/signage/study/
report.html#Recommendations). Pursuant to this recommendation, the Library decided to develop a pilot orientation programme, in order to determine if in fact demand was sufficient, and if the programme could be useful to students. This report describes the programme’s goals and objectives, structure, and logistics. It also provides an assessment of the programme’s success and possible future directions for this type of orientation session.

Needs Assessment

A focus group of the signage study participants was initially planned to elicit opinions on the potential value of a formal Library orientation programme. However, due to time constraints related to the need for seeking ethics approval from the UW Office of Research, this was substituted with a survey instrument. A six-question survey (Appendix A) was emailed to the 31 participants in the signage study. Six students responded (Appendix B), indicating that August was a good time due to the quietness of campus and the ability to focus on just the Library rather than all the other Orientation activities. They also suggested that their participation was a good learning experience but that more instruction about search methodologies would have been welcome, although this would have been outside the scope of the study. The Signage Committee reported that students were so satisfied with the experience that they would have attended even without the proffered financial incentive.

Goals & Objectives

GOAL: Market human, digital and print Library resources to incoming students.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Raise student awareness of librarians’ roles in supporting academic activities;
  2. Promote the Library as the BEST source of online information for scholarly research;
  3. Introduce the UW Electronic Library;
  4. Introduce students to the physical Library space and different material types;
  5. Help students get started – WATCARD registration, proxy server, etc;
  6. Promote the UW Virtual Reference service;
  7. Provide an environment where students can meet their peers.

Session Structure

It was thought that a traditional guided Library tour/bibliographic instruction session would not be effective for two reasons: first, its didactic nature was thought not to be very intellectually engaging, and second, due to the timing of the event so long before the start of classes, retention would be sub-optimal when it came time for students to use the Library for their studies. Thus it was decided to create the programme using a short lecture combined with an activity-based learning exercise.

  1. Two 3-hour sessions provided by two librarians (Paul St-Pierre, Christy Branston), including:
    • 30 minute lecture about Librarian roles, Library services, Library as primary source of information for scholarly research;
    • Demonstration: UW Library website, Virtual Reference service;
    • Scavenger Hunt:
      1. List of 32 reference questions (Appendix C) covering Davis, Porter, Digital Library;
      2. Split students into pairs and assign each group half the questions;
      3. Students take ~20 minutes to explore the Davis Library and locate answers;
      4. Reconvene in Davis conference room to go over answers, with explanations provided by Librarian about why the question was selected;
      5. Escort group to Porter Library and repeat scavenger hunt with Porter questions;
      6. Reconvene in Porter conference room to discuss questions over light refreshments (cookies and juice), and answer any other relevant questions.
  2. Handouts:
    1. Fall 2002 Library Instruction schedule
    2. UW Library pencil & bookmark
    3. Business card (Undergraduate Services Librarian)
    4. Porter & Davis Library floor plans
    5. Campus map
    6. Session evaluation form

Logistics

  1. Timing: sessions were held between terms (August 20-21, 2002) when the campus and Library are not very busy.
  2. Two sessions were scheduled, one on Tuesday morning and the other on Wednesday afternoon.
  3. Maximum registration was set at 25 students. More than that and the group would be too large to achieve the desired level of intimacy.
  4. Recruitment:
    1. List of local incoming students with email addresses was obtained from the Registrar (460 students);
    2. Invitation letters (Appendix D) were sent in two batches, in case of strong interest in the programme. Mass E-mailing done courtesy of Charles Woods;
    3. Replies were automatically sent to Rose Koebel, who responded with a letter of confirmation (Appendix E) including location information and links to the campus map and Davis Library floor plan. A letter of rejection (Appendix F) was prepared in the event of excess interest, encouraging students to participate in one of the general Library instruction sessions.
    4. Bounced messages = 43 (9.3%)
      Interested but busy = 1 (will try to set up 1-on-1 session)
      Confirmed = 10 (6 Tuesday, 4 Wednesday)
      Participants = 8 (4 Tuesday, 4 Wednesday) (<2%)

Assessment

The low participation rate in the programme may have been the result of several factors. Possible reasons for poor attendance include:

  1. Invitations were not sent early enough (two groups of invitations sent 8 and 6 days before session), although the Signage Committee had a very strong and rapid response to their invitation;
  2. Large number of Hotmail email accounts (43 bounced messages, of which 26 were to Hotmail accounts) helps explain high message bounce rate;
  3. Invitation might have been misconstrued as junk mail (message subject line: The UW Library wants YOU!). Most Hotmail users receive very large amounts of junk mail, making it easy to misread a message from the Library;
  4. Invitation message (Appendix D) not sufficiently enticing
  5. Confusion about content overlap with Student Life 101 session, although 5 of 8 participants attended SL101;
  6. Most students either work during the day or are on holiday at this time of year;
  7. The financial reward offered by the Signage Committee may have been a greater incentive than previously believed.
  8. Low interest level in the Library among incoming students;

Student Evaluations (Appendix G)

  1. The scavenger hunt activity appears to have been a good format. It was an active learning exercise intended to increase information retention. Easily scalable for larger groups. The challenge is asking the right questions – not so difficult that they create frustration, and representative of the full scope of Library materials and services. The discussion of answers might have been livelier with a larger group, but librarian explanations provided depth to the answers.
  2. The website overview was well received. It emphasized the increasing digitization of the Library to improve remote access to services and resources.
  3. The main criticism was that students would have liked more instruction about searching. We emphasized the general Library instruction sessions and recommended them for more in-depth instruction. To that end the workshop schedule was included.
  4. Overall ratings (n=8): Very Helpful = 5, Helpful = 3.

Future Directions

Poor response to the invitation to attend the pilot programme (<2%) suggests that it is not feasible in a stand-alone format at this time of year. However, it might be worthwhile to re-attempt the programme after addressing some of the issues noted above, notably: 1- sending out invitations earlier and sending follow-up reminders; and 2- changing the subject line of the invitation to something that might less easily be misconstrued as junk mail.

In the future, it might be possible to integrate Library orientation with activities put on by individual faculties/departments in August (Engineering, AHS?). This would provide us access to non-local students, and permit tailoring of the programme along disciplinary lines.

Alternatively, greater efforts to provide Library Orientation during O-week could be made. In order to maximize exposure, the programme could be promoted on various student websites such as the Orientation site (http://www.orientation.uwaterloo.ca/), the What’s Up @ Waterloo newsletter (http://www.findoutmore.uwaterloo.ca/newsletter/), and/or the First-Year Student Life E-Zine (http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosa/firstyear/
index.html). Other organizations and publications could also be targeted.

Traditional Library tours, such as those offered during Student Life 101 or as part of the general Library instruction programme, do not have very large attendance, and the utility of this type of tour has been called into question (Oling & Mach, 2002). The apparent success of the scavenger hunt format for Library discovery suggests it might be advantageous to substitute it for more traditional tours. In order to be successful, its length must be adequately planned, and questions reflecting the full range of services and resources discussed during existing tours must be covered.

Reference:
Oling, L., and Mach, M., “Tour Trends in Academic ARL Libraries,” College & Research Libraries, 63(1):13-23.

APPENDIX A – Signage Committee Study Participant Survey

Dear X,

My name is Paul St-Pierre, and I am the Undergraduate Services Librarian at UW. I am writing as a follow-up to your participation in last year’s Library signage study. The project was a great success and we are currently reviewing our signs to serve patrons more effectively.

Feedback indicated that the study helped acquaint participants with the Library, so this year we are creating a pilot orientation program for incoming students, to be held before Orientation week. We hope that this will help new students get a headstart familiarizing themselves with Library services and locations.

To help us prepare our orientation sessions, we have a few questions about your Library experience that we would like your help answering. Your participation is entirely voluntary and any data pertaining to you as an individual participant will be kept confidential. Your responses will not affect your relationship with the Library. Once data are collected and analyzed, information will be shared with library staff before we move forward with our orientation planning.

To respond, please reply to this message and enter your answers in the space after the question. There is no limit to the length of your responses. You may choose not to answer some questions if you prefer.

QUESTIONS:

  1. Why was it better to visit the Library in August rather than during Orientation week?
    ANSWER:

  2. What was the most important thing you learned about the Library during the signage study?
    ANSWER:

  3. What other things would you have liked to learn about during your summer Library visit?
    ANSWER:

  4. How often did you visit the Library during your first year? (choose one) ANSWER: Daily - Weekly - Monthly - Very Rarely - Never
  5. Do you think you would have used the Library as much during your first year if you had not participated in the signage study?
    ANSWER:

  6. What was your usual purpose for visiting the Library? (choose one or more)
    ANSWER: Study - Get Books - Find Journal Articles - Get Course Reserve Materials - Other (please explain)

Thank you in advance for your participation. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this survey, or if you have any general questions about the Library.

Paul G. St-Pierre
Librarian, Undergraduate Services
Davis Centre Library
University of Waterloo
pstpierr@library.uwaterloo.ca
(519)888-4567 ext.5947

_____________________________________________________

This project was reviewed by, and received ethics clearance through the Office of Research Ethics at the University of Waterloo. Should you have any questions about your participation in this study, please contact Dr. Susan Sykes in the Office of Research Ethics at (519) 888-4567 ext. 6005.


APPENDIX B – Survey Responses

Question 1. Why was it better to visit the Library in August rather than during Orientation week?

  1. During Orientation Week, you are so busy, that it is hard to find time to visit the library. Also when you have time off, you just want to relax or meet new people, so you don't really want to spend that time going to the library. That is why in August, it is a good time to go and get familiar with the library!
  2. Everything else happens during orientation week, so it would be hard to find time, or to choose to find time, to tour the library when you are sorting out everything else. Also, the small-group setting we were in without the addition of hundreds of students on campus relieved some of the anxiety and rush that we may otherwise have experienced.
  3. The University library is very different from high school libraries. It helped to get accustomed to the size of the library and the filing system before school started or the library became overcrowded.
  4. Definitely. During O-week there are so many things going on, so many people to meet, etc. that the library doesn't exactly become a priority for many people, even people who are genuinely interested. Plus, it was a good introduction to one specific area of the university before becoming overwhelmed with everything else.
  5. Because it wasn't as busy
  6. My August visit was a very specific endeavour to learn about the Dana Porter library. I spent more time in the library and was more focused on the tasks at hand. Also, my visit was not crammed into a week full of other activities to distract me. Thus, I walked away knowing more about the library than I would have learned during Orientation week.

Question 2. What was the most important thing you learned about the Library during the signage study?

  1. Where the information desk is. I think that is really important to find out where that is, so when you have questions about anything in the library, you know where to go to ask!
  2. That the staff are very friendly and eager to answer any of your questions!
  3. How to use the computers to locate books and how to find the books in the library
  4. The cataloguing system. Being able to find the one book you're looking for in a huge building that uses a completely different system than a small highschool library is daunting. Being sent out to find the fake books was the most challenging.
  5. That there's a poster near all the elevators that tells you what is on which floor.
  6. Where to find certain types of books (ie rare books vs.fiction). What the book stacks are. What kind of system the library uses to catalogue books, and how to navigate this system.

Question 3. What other things would you have liked to learn about during your summer Library visit

  1. Maybe more on how to use TRELLIS, because I don't think we learned too much about during the summer visit.
  2. Maybe more about the things we probably haven't had to use in any of our former library experiences, like microfiche, or the rare book collection, etc. At this point I am still not comfortable with pursuing those avenues when doing research.
  3. More about getting journals that are not available at Waterloo
  4. I still don't understand much about the reserve materials or the rare book room. I often forget the library even HAS a first floor. During our August visit we saw what was down there, but it's still unclear how I would go about using those materials.
  5. I don't know.
  6. How to use the microfiche. A session on using periodicals etc.

Question 4. How often did you visit the Library during your first year? (choose one) ANSWER: Daily - Weekly - Monthly - Very Rarely - Never
  1. Weekly
  2. At least weekly, but closer to two times a week.
  3. Weekly
  4. Daily
  5. Monthly
  6. Monthly, sometimes weekly.

Question 5. Do you think you would have used the Library as much during your first year if you had not participated in the signage study?

  1. I probably would've used it the same amount!
  2. Probably not
  3. no
  4. I know I would have, but I was more comfortable right away after participating in the study.
  5. Yes
  6. Maybe not.

Question 6. What was your usual purpose for visiting the Library? (choose one or more) ANSWER: Study - Get Books - Find Journal Articles - Get Course Reserve Materials - Other (please explain)

  1. Study - Get Books - Find Journal Articles
  2. I did a lot of studying, but also used the library a lot to find books.
  3. study, get books, find journal articles, get course reserve material
  4. I usually visited the library to grab a coffee at Browsers and get some last minute work done at the tables on the ground floor. I like that the library can also be a meeting place for students. But of course, I also borrowed many a book, and studied, too.
  5. Studying, finding journal articles
  6. To study, get books, find journal articles.


APPENDIX C – Scavenger Hunt Questions, with answers

  1. Find the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics in the Davis Library Reference section (Call number Ref QD65.H3). What is the symbol for the speed of light in vacuum (see the section on Fundamental Physical Constants, page 1-2)? (c)
  2. Find the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy in the Davis Library Reference section (Call number Ref RC55.M4 1999). What are some other names for Heatstroke? (Sunstroke, thermic fever, siriasis)
  3. Find the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 4th Edition, in the Davis Library Reference section (Call number Ref TP9.E685 1991). From volume 20, provide a short definition of ‘Recycling’. (process by which materials are separated from waste destined for disposal and remanufactured into usable or marketable materials)
  4. Ask at the Information desk where to find Translation dictionaries. Locate the German Technical Dictionary (Call number Ref T10.R688x 1996). What is the German word for ‘speedometer’? (Geschwindigkeitsmesser)
  5. Find a guide to technical writing (there are several) in the stacks, in the Call number area T11. What is the title of the volume you chose? (_________________________)
  6. What colour are volumes of the series Lecture Notes in Mathematics (in the stacks, Call number QA3.L28)? (Yellow)
  7. In the stacks, find the series Proceedings of SPIE (Call number TR5.S6x). What does the acronym SPIE stand for? (Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers)
  8. What subject area is covered by Call numbers beginning with the letters QD? (Chemistry)
  9. What is the date of the most recent issue of the journal JAMA (Call number R15 .A48) in the Current Periodicals section?
  10. In the Periodicals section, what is the first volume of the Journal of the American Chemical Society on the shelf? (v. 15 (1893))
  11. What is the web address of the UW Library homepage? (www.lib.uwaterloo.ca)
  12. What is the name of the UW Library catalogue ? (TRELLIS)
  13. Starting from the Library website, locate the E-Journals page. How many journal titles are available electronically? (7700+)
  14. Using the Library website, find the name of the Library’s Biology specialist (also known as a Liaison Librarian). (Anne Fullerton)
  15. Starting from the Library website, locate the E-Journals page. Search for the journal JAMA. What does JAMA stand for? Go to the journal website- what is its web address? (http://jama.ama-assn.org/)
  16. When is the Davis Library open until today? Can you find this information both in printed format and using the library website?
  17. Find a discussion of Fatalism in the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy in the Porter Reference section (call number: Ref B51 .R68 1998). What page does this discussion begin on? P. 563
  18. Franz Boas is known as the Father of ______________ (Answer is in Ref GN11.E52 1976 in the Porter Reference Collection). Anthropology
  19. Check one of the designated cd-rom workstations in the Porter Library to see if there is a cd-rom resource dealing with Shakespeare. What is it called? World Shakespeare Bibliography
  20. Using a currency converter, find out what $32,000 US would be in Canadian dollars. (Find the resource from the Library’s web site under E-reference collection – click “And more” then “Currency & Finance”, and use the “Universal Currency Converter” web site). $50,722
  21. What is discussed on page 753, volume 1 in the Encyclopedia of Creativity – Ref BF 408 .E53x 1999 in the Porter Reference section? Gender Differences
  22. The 9th floor of the Porter Library contains books with the call number ranges P to PR5999. What is the title of the very first book on the 9th floor and what is the title of the very last book on the 9th floor? (Look for the call numbers: P1.J6x and PR 5922.M5) Journal of the Atlantic Provinces & The Works of Israel Zangwill
  23. What is the date of the most recent issue of Archaeology found on the third floor in the Porter Library? Call number: GN 700 .A725. Name one of the headlines from the front cover. August/September 2002 --???
  24. Issues of older journals are eventually bound together to save space. What colour has the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts been bound in? Call number: PN56.F34 J57x (on the 3rd floor at Porter) Reddish-Brown
  25. Who wrote the novel that the film The Wizard of Oz is based on? (in the Porter reference section Find: Novels into Film – Ref PN 1997 .85 T541999. L. Frank Baum
  26. The Muses are famous classical figures. There are typically 9 of these godesses. What are their names? (in the Porter reference section find The Oxford Classical Dictionary – Ref DE5.O9 1996). Calliope, Clio, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Erato, Melpomene, Thalia, Polyhymnia, Urania
  27. What was Laura Secord’s maiden name? (in the Porter reference section Find The Canadian Encyclopedia – Ref FC 23.C36 1988). Ingersoll
  28. One of the UW Graphics locations (a service for faculty, staff and students) is in the Porter Library. What are their hours of operation? Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:25 pm
  29. In the Porter reference section, find the book with the call number: Ref PN147.A28 1985. What is the title of this book? What would you use it for? MLA Style Manual – to assist in formatting a bibliography
  30. The Library has put together web resource pages for each discipline that is taught at UW. From the Library Homepage, find the web address for the History Electronic Library by clicking on “Research Starting Points”.
  31. Find the name of the museum in St. Jacob’s listed in the Guide to Ontario Museums in the Porter reference section– Ref AM21.O58 G85x 1998. Maple Syrup Museum of Ontario
  32. There is a colloquial phrase in British fiction describing a female character as having “broken her leg”. Using the book Slang and euphemism – Ref PE3721.S67 1981 in the Porter Reference section, find the meaning of this expression. Seduced and made pregnant


APPENDIX D – Letter of Invitation

Subject: The UW Library wants YOU!

Welcome to UW!
Anxious about information overload during Orientation week? Get a headstart and learn a bit about the Library before school starts. You are cordially invited to join us at the UW Library August 20 or 21 for a casual 2-3 hour session.

WHAT/WHY:

WHERE:

WHEN:

Tuesday August 20, 9AM -12PM
OR
Wednesday August 21, 1:30-4:30 PM

Please confirm your participation by responding to this message, indicating the session you would prefer to attend. Each session is limited to 25 students, so RSVP now to reserve your place. We will notify you with exact location information and provide directions for finding the Library.

We look forward to meeting you,

Paul G. St-Pierre
Librarian, Undergraduate Services
Davis Centre Library
University of Waterloo
pstpierr@library.uwaterloo.ca
(519)888-4567 ext.5947

Christy Branston
Liaison Librarian for Anthropology, Classics, Philosophy, and Religious Studies
Dana Porter Library
University of Waterloo
cbransto@library.uwaterloo.ca
(519)888-4567 ext.2891

Visit the UW Library website: www.lib.uwaterloo.ca


APPENDIX E – Letter of Confirmation

Dear X,
Thank you for your interest in the Library Orientation program. We look forward to seeing you:

WHEN: Tuesday, August 20, 9:00 AM / Wednesday, August 21, 1:30 PM

WHERE: Davis Centre Library, Conference Room DC-1568

HOW TO FIND US:

The Library is located on the ground floor of the William G. Davis Computer Research Centre. The Conference Room is at the back right-hand corner of the Library (see floorplan).

Campus map: http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map/map.html (includes visitor parking locations)
Davis Library Floorplan: http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/tour/images/DCfloorplan.jpg

If you have any questions prior to the session, please contact Paul or Christy and we will gladly fill in the blanks for you.

See you soon!

Paul G. St-Pierre
Librarian, Undergraduate Services
Davis Centre Library
University of Waterloo
pstpierr@library.uwaterloo.ca
(519)888-4567 ext.5947

Christy Branston
Liaison Librarian for Anthropology, Classics, Philosophy, and Religious Studies
Dana Porter Library
University of Waterloo
cbransto@library.uwaterloo.ca
(519)888-4567 ext.2891

Visit the UW Library website: www.lib.uwaterloo.ca


APPENDIX F – Letter of Rejection

Dear X,
Thank you for your interest in the Library Orientation program. Unfortunately, both sessions have now reached full registration. However, the Library offers several instructional workshops during the fall term. Please consider attending one or more of them to familiarize yourself with the Library and its resources. Consult the Library Workshops web page (http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/usered/ ) for more information.
If you have any questions about the Library, please feel free to contact Paul St-Pierre and I will be glad to help you.

Welcome to UW!

Paul G. St-Pierre
Librarian, Undergraduate Services
Davis Centre Library
University of Waterloo
pstpierr@library.uwaterloo.ca
(519)888-4567 ext.5947

Christy Branston
Liaison Librarian for Anthropology, Classics, Philosophy, and Religious Studies
Dana Porter Library
University of Waterloo
cbransto@library.uwaterloo.ca
(519)888-4567 ext.2891

Visit the UW Library website: www.lib.uwaterloo.ca


APPENDIX G – Student Evaluations

NOTE: 8 students participated in the two sessions. All completed the evaluation form.

Question 2 - How useful was this session for you? Very Helpful = 5, Helpful = 3

Question 3 – The most useful part of this workshop was:

  1. I found the scavenger hunt useful because I was able to find out the different areas of the library so I won’t be lost when I try to research a topic.
  2. To learn how to look for certain books and to know who to ask in case of difficulty.
  3. Explanation of website.
  4. Teaching us how to use the library website easily. Location of different books/materials that may be useful to us during the school session.
  5. PowerPoint slides (note: PowerPoint not used).
  6. Actually looking for material on shelves.
  7. Library scavenger hunt and discussions.
  8. Scavenger hunt and discussion.

Question 4 – One thing I wish we had covered is:

  1. I don’t really think there was anything. This session gave a good overview.
  2. 2. –
  3. Procedures for recalling books that have been signed out, renewing books.
  4. –
  5. How to use newspaper slides.
  6. Use of CD-ROM and periodical material
  7. Searching
  8. Electronic references

Question 5 – Comments:

  1. This was a very informative session and the hands-on approach made it interesting. Thanks.
  2. Thanks for letting us know how to use the books and look for them, and giving information about the 2 libraries.
  3. I prefer ‘boring’ traditional tours to interactive and ‘fun’ scavenger hunts.
  4. None. All the best!
  5. Excellent session.
  6. Organizers were friendly and approachable.
  7. Session well done. Learned a lot.
  8. Well done!

February 13, 2006