Some of the most enduring, and engaging, questions within academic librarianship are those about students and research skills. The vocabulary employed for discussion has evolved, but essential questions--what skills do students need to be taught, who should teach them, and how?--have persisted from the nineteenth century into the twenty-first.…

Traditional libraries are being redefined. They are not only places to access books in print, but are also rich resources for digital assets. As a result, technology training programs need to progress beyond basic "mouse and keyboard" in order to meet the ever-changing needs and demands of the public. As library collections transition to…

Affective responses toward library- and web-based research were measured in surveys administered before and after an eight-week, one-credit-hour, university course in information literacy. Affect refers to attitudinal and emotional responses as measured via Likert scale questions regarding: like-dislike, difficulty-ease, confidence-anxiety, and…

In recent years, libraries have made efforts to create games, often for the purpose of information literacy instruction. Games can provide an interactive alternative to traditional instruction by introducing research tools and resources while also teaching problem solving skills within a collaborative learning environment. Despite the benefits,…

In the present study, we were interested in determining if library instruction would be more effective if personal response systems (clickers) were used during instruction. Furthermore we were interested in examining if students in a class could benefit from clicker technology even if they did not have access to a personal clicker. To examine…

Chemical information instruction (CII) has been recommended by the ACS Committee on Professional Training as a necessary component of the chemistry curriculum for both undergraduate and graduate students. Surveys conducted by the ACS Chemical Information Division (CINF) Education Committee in 1984 and 1993 showed the extent that CII had become…

Sixteen scholarly papers and twenty abstracts comprise the content of the eighteenth annual Brick & Click Libraries Conference, held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the conference, portray the contemporary and future face of librarianship.…

When American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) "Standards for the 21st Century Learner" were released in late 2007, librarians rushed to incorporate them in curricula at the local and state level and in existing lessons. After an initial frenzy of simply replacing old learning objectives with new ones, the field settled into the task of…

Library teachers can no longer do business as usual--their students' deep learning is at risk! Expanding current collection of books, CDs, and DVDs is progress, but library teachers cannot allow their facilities to become warehouses for information resources. Their library learning commons should be a place buzzing with the hustle and bustle of…

This discussion is designed to expose the readers to a selection of educational reform initiatives that fall under the "21st Century Workforce" umbrella. The aims of these initiatives are quite harmonious with the overarching goals of librarianship and the opportunities for librarians to become involved and to demonstrate leadership in this arena…

Top Chef is one of America's top food television shows. In one episode, lead judge Tom Colicchio, chef and restaurant owner, chides a contestant for hurriedly slicing a piece of meat as soon as it had emerged from the oven. The meat was fully cooked, but the competitor had not "let it rest," or let it steep in its own juices outside the oven for…

Primary literature is our main mode of communication in the sciences. As such, it is important for our undergraduates in the discipline to learn how to read primary literature. Incorporating primary literature into undergraduate science courses is often difficult because students are unprepared to comprehend primary articles. Learning to read and…

Marshall University librarians' efforts to improve library instruction are explored. A history of the libraries' Digital Learning Team (DLT) and its developmental phases is provided, as well as interpretations of evaluative data collected from embedded students. Data from the iSkills assessment of student information literacy skills are…

College students today are spending more time online accessing information and connecting with each other. Libraries and librarians have made changes in their collections and services so as to be easily available and accessible in the online world. Embedding a librarian in a course enhances student learning by connecting students with reliable…

The ability to navigate and understand the chemical literature is integral to the scientific research process. Learning these skills is therefore an important, though often overwhelming, part of an undergraduate chemical education. We describe an inquiry-based program designed to help chemistry students begin to learn to search and read the…