Volume 9, Issue 2, 2015 [ARTICLE]

A SURVEY OF PERCEPTIONS OF INFORMATION TECHNIQUES

Simone L. Yearwood Teaching research competencies and Queens College, City University of information literacy is an integral part of the New York academic librarian’s role. There has long been debate among over what are the most Nancy M. Foasberg effective methods of instruction for college Queens College, City University of students. Faculty members at a large New York urban university system were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the effectiveness Kenneth D. Rosenberg of common information literacy instruction Queens College, City University of techniques. The system includes community New York and senior colleges, as well as graduate and professional degree granting institutions. This research was undertaken for the purpose of better prioritizing institutional teaching activities in the current academic climate. Survey results show that instructional models giving librarians more time with students, particularly highly-engaged students, are believed to be the most effective.

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INTRODUCTION which approaches they believe will be most effective in many different instructional Librarians have been teaching for over a situations. century and continue to have an important presence in the classroom. However, the In order to better understand librarians’ complexity of teaching activities and the preferences, practices and perceptions amount of teaching expected of librarians regarding instruction at their institution, the have dramatically increased in the past authors surveyed the library faculty at the fifteen years (Walter, 2008). In the twenty- City University of New York (CUNY). As first century, access to students comes in a large, diverse university system which many different forms. Students may come to includes senior (4-year), community (2- librarians virtually or face-to-face, once or year), and graduate institutions, CUNY many times, voluntarily or mandatorily. includes librarians with many different Librarians may meet with them one-on-one perspectives owing to the difference among or as part of a class, and may play the roles their institutions. of guest speakers, primary instructors, or “research therapists” (Booth, 2011). CUNY is the largest public urban university Unsurprisingly, each model—the “one-shot” in the United States, with more than session, one-on-one research instruction, 269,000 degree-credit students at 24 full-semester credit course instruction, and colleges across New York City. The embedded librarianship (see Table 1)—has CUNY Library System serves many its proponents and detractors. In such a different populations and includes 11 senior complex landscape, individual librarians colleges, seven community colleges, and develop their own pedagogy, whether five graduate and professional schools. The explicit or implicit, making choices about smallest college enrolls around 200 students and the largest around 24,000. Librarians

TABLE 1—TYPES OF INSTRUCTION

Type of Instruction Definition One-shot instruction session A single library session with a course instructor, designed to provide an introduction to general library skills or instruction around a specific assignment One-on-one research The student and librarian discuss research needs on a one-on-one basis Credit-course instruction A librarian, as the primary course instructor, teaches information literacy in a class over the course of a semester or partial-semester Embedded librarianship Semester-long partnership between subject faculty member and librarian in a course

[ARTICLE] 187 Yearwood, et al, A Survey of Librarian Perceptions Communications in Information Literacy 9(2), 2015 within the CUNY Library System have neutral as to which is a more effective faculty status. method for teaching information literacy. Some researchers laud the effectiveness of The survey used in this study was reference services; Johnson & Lindsay administered with the intention of better (2006) and Cull (2005) found that their understanding how academic librarians survey respondents considered reference think about instruction. Which models do work the most effective way of teaching they consider the most effective? What are information literacy to students, because it their main instructional goals? How well do is focused on a student’s individual needs. the kinds of teaching they do match their Some librarians consider reference work preferred practices? The authors hope to more professionally satisfying than provide an overview of these attitudes for conducting one-shot instruction sessions consideration in decisions about prioritizing (Johnson & Lindsay, 2006). Others teaching activities. While librarians’ advocate for the effectiveness of credit preference and perceptions do not trump the courses (Davis, Lundstrom & Martin, 2011; need for assessment, they can reveal a great Partello, 2005). Some authors argue that deal about what we, as a profession, value one-shot instruction sessions can be when it comes to teaching. effective, but are improved by using active learning techniques in place of the LITERATURE REVIEW traditional lecture and demonstration (Hollister & Coe, 2003), and that their Published research shows how academic effectiveness depends heavily on effective librarians teach in many different contexts. collaboration with subject faculty Julien and Genuis (2011), in a national (Derakhshan & Singh, 2011). However, survey of Canadian librarians, found that collaboration can be difficult, as librarians librarians were involved in numerous kinds and subject faculty do not always agree of instructional activities, including multiple about which methods are most effective sessions in the same class, credit courses, (Davidson, 2001), and subject faculty are one-on-one instruction, and others. often less invested in information literacy However, traditional one-shot presentations than are library faculty (Julien & Genuis, were found to be the most common method 2011). of instruction. Ultimately, library researchers conclude that There is debate about the effectiveness of the most effective way to teach information each model of information literacy literacy is to use multiple forms of instruction, including the most common instruction, so that in-class, one-on-one, and ones. Despite the ubiquity of one-shot asynchronous methods can complement instruction methods in the literature, some each other’s strengths and weaknesses librarians are skeptical of them. Davis, (Mahaffy, 2012; Tumbleson & Burke, Lundstrom & Martin (2011), who detail the 2010). Embedded librarianship typically arguments for both one-shot instruction includes several methods of librarian/faculty sessions and credit courses, found that over contact; as a result, some researchers 50% of the librarians in their study were advocate it as the best overall approach

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(Jacobsen & Mark, 2000; Tumbleson & With the approval of the local Institutional Burke, 2010). Review Board, the survey was distributed by email to all the librarians included on the list. The survey was hosted online through SurveyMonkey. Data collection took place To study librarians’ instructional practices for two weeks early in the fall 2013 and preferences, a survey was distributed to semester. After the first week, a reminder all full-time faculty librarians within the email was sent to all potential participants. CUNY Library System. The authors chose The survey was anonymous and personally to focus on this university system rather identifying information was not solicited. than targeting a national listserv in order to To protect the participants’ identities, blind encourage the participation of librarians carbon copies were used for both the initial with a variety of different perspectives, not email and the reminder. Once the data only the high-achieving and highly collection was complete, the text responses instruction-oriented librarians who were grouped according to themes and characteristically participate in professional coded by the researchers. Quantitative data listservs. Although the small population was analyzed for mean, median, and mode may limit generalizability, this effect is using Microsoft Excel. balanced by the diversity of the colleges belonging to the CUNY, which includes RESULTS community, senior, and graduate colleges with a wide variety of missions, Of the 246 librarians surveyed, 44 populations, and strengths. As a result, responded, for a response rate of 18%. survey participants were more likely to According to Sauermann and Roach (2013), provide a broad range of experiences and a response rate of 10-25% is common for opinions regarding instruction. CUNY detailed online surveys, putting this survey represents a different kind of professional in the expected response range. Although microcosm than instructional listservs the researchers specified in the introductory frequented by the most engaged among us. letter that responses from all faculty librarians were of interest, public service The researchers contacted administrative librarians dominated the responses. Thirty- authorities to obtain a list of [its] librarians one respondents identified themselves as who had full-time faculty status. As of May public services librarians, while only one 1, 2013, 246 full-time faculty librarians library administrator and two technical were employed across the CUNY’s 20 services librarians responded. Ten campus (at the time of this survey, respondents described themselves as four campuses did not have their own belonging to more than one of these libraries). Library employees with other functional groups. status designations were not included in the survey because titles in non-faculty lines Four-year (senior) colleges were also often do not indicate whether the individual somewhat overrepresented in the survey in question is a librarian or a member of the responses. While 30% of CUNY librarians support staff. work in community colleges, they only

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FIGURE 1—SURVEY RESPONSE BY INSTITUTION TYPE VS. DISTRIBUTION OF LIBRARIANS WITHIN CUNY

made up 20% of the responses. Thus, these a “one,” the second most effective a “two,” results are slightly skewed to represent the and so on. A free-text question followed, perspective of instruction librarians at senior which required librarians to justify their colleges over those at community colleges rankings (see Figure 2). (see Figure 1). Overall, the rankings indicated a clear Types of Instruction preference for one-on-one research Librarians were asked to rank several types consultation, followed by credit courses of of instruction according to their perceived various types (cross-listed, three-credit, and effectiveness, rating the most effective type one-credit courses), with one-shot

FIGURE 2—PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHING METHODS

[ARTICLE] 190 Yearwood, et al, A Survey of Librarian Perceptions Communications in Information Literacy 9(2), 2015 instruction sessions following and online Respondents’ interest in participating in research materials ranking far behind the these various forms of instruction was other types of instruction. directly affected by their perceived effectiveness of the method. As Figure 3 Librarians’ beliefs about which types of shows, respondents reported the greatest instruction are most effective did not interest in providing research consultations necessarily reflect the types of instruction and teaching cross-listed credit courses, and practiced on CUNY campuses (see Table 2). less interest in one-shot sessions and online instructional materials. Respondents showed Despite the consensus that online materials interest in teaching credit courses at a much constituted the least effective type of higher rate than they actually taught them. instruction, 60% of respondents had created online guides in the past two years. DISCUSSION Similarly, one-shot instruction for first-year composition and other undergraduate courses were ranked very low for Pedagogical Effectiveness effectiveness, but over 80% of respondents In the free-text responses, librarians had engaged in each. indicated several reasons for the effectiveness rankings they had given,

TABLE 2—TYPES OF TEACHING METHODS USED WITHIN THE LAST TWO YEARS

Number of librarians Teaching Method who have done this Percentage within the past two years One-shot Instruction 40 89% (Undergraduate) Research Consultation 39 87% One-shot Instruction 38 84% (Composition) Online Materials 27 60% One-shot Instruction (Graduate)* 26 58% Embedded Librarianship 10 22% Cross-listed course 8 18% Multi-credit Library course 6 13% One-credit Library course 3 7% *The community college instructors in the survey had not done any one-shot instruction in graduate courses because they do not serve that population. Among other respondents, 72% had done one-shot instruction for a graduate course.

[ARTICLE] 191 Yearwood, et al, A Survey of Librarian Perceptions Communications in Information Literacy 9(2), 2015 including time spent with students, the component of librarianship … [teaching student-driven nature of certain interactions, credit courses is] a massive time-sink that connection to the curriculum, student makes it difficult to engage in the activities preparedness, the degree to which that really make librarianship unique.” instruction is tailored to the student’s Time pressure helps to explain why credit specific needs, and the challenges of courses, although rated more effective than collaboration. one-shot instruction sessions, were also far less common. Time for interaction with students was considered a major strength of credit Students’ preparedness and voluntary courses and one-on-one research assistance, participation were given as explanations for and a drawback of one-shot instruction both the high perceived effectiveness of one sessions. One respondent wrote: “One-shots -on-one research help and the general are notoriously difficult to produce the preference for one-shot instruction with desired results of information literacy, even graduates and advanced undergraduates for the limited purposes for which they are rather than first-year composition students. usually designed. There is simply not enough time, and usually too many students Although there is a general professional in the session....” However, librarians were trend away from staffing also wary of engaging in types of instruction (Sonntag & Palsson, 2007), the survey that are perceived as too time-consuming, respondents rated one-on-one research especially credit courses. One respondent consultations as both the most effective type wrote, “While teaching is an important of instruction and the one that they most

FIGURE 3—INTEREST IN TYPES OF TEACHING

[ARTICLE] 192 Yearwood, et al, A Survey of Librarian Perceptions Communications in Information Literacy 9(2), 2015 preferred. Respondents felt that reference undergraduate classes, are not sufficiently interactions were effective because they prepared, motivated, or focused to lower the barrier between librarian and immediately benefit from a random one- student, are most likely to be driven by the shot instruction session.” However, this students’ need for information, and have a same respondent noted that “because one- clear connection to the curriculum. Some shot instruction sessions are the type of comments emphasized the importance of teaching through which librarians reach the student motivation: “Teaching at the greatest number of students, they remain reference desk or in one-on-one consult or valuable and should be welcome until a in … workshops that students voluntarily better alternative reaching no fewer students attend are the most effective because they takes their place.” Another survey are motivated to learn about what they are participant rated one-shots in graduate asking and they focus and pay attention.” classes the most effective, because Other respondents focused on the affective “Students are motivated and have prior dimension: knowledge of research sources.” Comments such as these imply that librarians believe Working one on one with a patron is that instruction is more effective when the most effective way to get the addressed to students who tend already to be information across in a way that the engaged with their studies, rather than that patron understands. They can ask specific types of instruction can create questions without fear of seeming engagement. Librarians’ instructional dumb and the session can be easily preferences aligned with these perceptions. geared towards his/her specific Although more librarians expressed interest information need. in teaching one-shot sessions for undergraduate than graduate students Similarly, one-shot sessions for graduate (perhaps partly because the community and advanced undergraduates were college librarians have no graduate students perceived as more effective due to students’ to teach), both types of one-shots were motivation and the relevance of the session. much more likely to be considered desirable Among one-shot sessions, the average than the one-shot session with a ranking corresponded to the level of the composition course. student. Graduate students in particular were frequently described as more Finally, relevance and specificity of the type motivated to learn. One respondent wrote: of instruction in relation to the student’s “Graduate students are often motivated by needs were considered to increase personal interest for their coursework or effectiveness. Several comments about future job prospects and are more likely to reference interactions and one-shot participate and benefit from workshops or instruction sessions focused on the one-shot sessions.” Another respondent importance of “tailoring” instruction wrote, “One-shot instruction sessions, appropriately to fit a student’s needs. When especially undergraduate, may not be the discussing one-shot instruction sessions, most ‘overall effective’ for student learning more than one librarian commented that it … some students, especially in was important for the session to intervene in

[ARTICLE] 193 Yearwood, et al, A Survey of Librarian Perceptions Communications in Information Literacy 9(2), 2015 a particular assignment in a useful way in The researchers were interested not only in order for it to have an impact on the student. what makes one type of instruction more It is worth noting that, although credit effective than another, but also what exactly courses were ranked highly overall, many librarians hope to teach students. librarians were skeptical of them due to their lack of curricular integration. One Many responses to this question closely commented “I don't know that I believe in reflected the ACRL Information Literacy stand-alone for-credit library courses. Competency Standards for Higher is most effective when Education (2000). Librarians were tied to a particular discipline, closely interested in helping students to define integrated with a course or other courses research questions, locate information using they're taking in their major.” Another specific search strategies, use and respondent, ranking all credit courses at the understand information, evaluate bottom of the survey, pithily remarked: information, and exercise academic integrity “Instruction is only meaningful within a in their . Other responses did not disciplinary context and at point of need.” map as neatly to the Standards but There seems to be a trade-off between the emphasized academic skills, critical amount of time with students that credit thinking, understanding different types of courses provide and the degree to which information, and the research process. instruction is perceived to take place at the point of need. Although some of the responses elsewhere in the survey indicated a desire for While some articles have framed embedded librarians’ teaching to place more emphasis librarianship as a way to achieve both on and less on the curricular integration and a high degree of mechanical aspects of searching, search contact with the students (Tumbleson & strategies comprised the largest group of Burke, Drewes & Hoffman, 2010), there responses. These goals included such skills was little consensus about its effectiveness as database searching, finding books, using in this survey. It was also the least keywords, and finding information without commonly indicated method of instruction; the aid of a library. Meanwhile, identifying only ten (22%) of the librarians in our research questions and exercising academic survey had been embedded. One of the integrity were mentioned in only one respondents commented that those librarians comment each. at their institution who had been embedded were “not sharing well,” so there may be Using and understanding information, little local information about the strengths evaluating information and critical thinking, and weaknesses of embedded librarianship. and academic skills also attracted many Some librarians believed it held great comments. One respondent commented that promise for meaningful curricular students should, “understand the process of integration of library instruction, but one searching for materials (and that it is multi- respondent described it merely as a faceted, not a single search).” Another “buzzword.” respondent commented that it was important Pedagogical Values to teach students “how to think critically,

[ARTICLE] 194 Yearwood, et al, A Survey of Librarian Perceptions Communications in Information Literacy 9(2), 2015 intelligently and holistically about their the researchers’ attempts at inclusivity, the research topics (which expands their use of survey results are more likely to reflect the vocabulary, search strategies, etc.).” The opinions of public service librarians ability to use and understand information working in senior colleges. included comments about critically, analyzing information, and collating The overall response rate was 18%, which information from several sources. A represents a relatively small proportion of number of comments mentioned evaluating potential respondents. More importantly, sources, using particular types of sources, the total number of responses is small, so and corroborating information among care must be taken with interpreting the sources. results.

Other comments mentioned affective factors The results of the survey align well with such as persistence, curiosity, and those of larger, similar surveys. Like other flexibility, rethinking one’s ideas, taking libraries studied, CUNY librarians teach a risks when exploring new topics, and even lot of one-shot sessions, but many of them such mundane skills as time management. believe that other forms of instruction are Some respondents mentioned critical more effective, especially those that allow thinking explicitly. Others focused on more time with students or catch students at disciplinary skills like understanding how the most appropriate point of information knowledge is structured and disseminated in need. However, other survey results may a particular field. It is worth noting that a reflect specific aspects of local majority of the survey participants reported environments. Further research will shed that teaching was a significant part of their additional light on the results described job; in fact, some librarians would prefer to here. teach even more than they do. FURTHER RESEARCH LIMITATIONS Future work in similar affiliated groups of This work is preliminary and further colleges would allow for a comparison research is needed before drawing among institutions. Specific populations of conclusions about librarian preferences in librarians had a disappointingly low library instruction. Since the survey was response rate, especially community college focused on a small group of librarians at a librarians and librarians outside of specific university system, they may not traditional “instructional services” titles. reflect the perceptions of academic Future surveys targeted directly to these librarians in other institutions, or other populations may draw a greater response. areas, or the profession as a whole. Furthermore, the response rate for certain The researchers found few articles that groups of librarians was low, especially included surveys of students and subject community college librarians, librarians at faculty in addition to or instead of librarians. graduate institutions, and librarians working In those articles, the differences between in areas other than public services. Despite librarian preferences and the preferences of

[ARTICLE] 195 Yearwood, et al, A Survey of Librarian Perceptions Communications in Information Literacy 9(2), 2015 their constituencies were striking in: Reframing librarianship for changing (Davidson, 2001). Further research might learners. [Slideshare document]. Retrieved seek to discover whether this holds true from: http://www.slideshare.net/charbooth/ elsewhere and the reasons for these the-research-therapist-is-in-reframing- discrepancies. librarianship-for-changing-learners

The survey described in this article covers Cull, B. W. (2005). Voices in the many aspects of information literacy wilderness: A report on academic instruction, which could easily be expanded information literacy instruction in Atlantic in more specific surveys. In particular, the Canada. Canadian Journal of Information free-response questions about librarians’ and , 29(1), 1–26. values with regard to instruction were quite revealing and could easily form the basis for Davidson, J. R. (2001). Faculty and student another survey. attitudes toward credit courses for library skills. College and Research Libraries, 62 CONCLUSION (2), 155–163. Retrieved from: http:// crl.acrl.org/content/62/2/155.full.pdf+html The goal of this study was to evaluate librarians’ perceptions of the effectiveness Davis, E. L., Lundstrom, K. & Martin, P. M. of different teaching models. The librarians (2011). Librarian perceptions and surveyed believed that one-on-one research information literacy instruction models. consultation was the most effective teaching Reference Services Review, 39(4), 686–702. method and that online guides were the least doi:10.1108/00907321111186695 effective. Many librarians believed that effectiveness of instruction depends on time Derakhshan, M., & Singh, D. (2011). spent with students, student preparedness, Integration of information literacy into the and curricular integration. Although not curriculum: A meta-synthesis. Library considered the most effective, one-shot Review, 60(3), 218–229. classroom instruction was the most doi:10.1108/00242531111117272 prevalent model. Perceived effectiveness was not the only factor that determined the Drewes, K. & Hoffman, N. (2010). contexts in which librarians teach; time is Academic embedded librarianship: An also one of the most important factors, as is introduction. Public Services Quarterly, 6 reaching a large number of students. (2/3), 75–82.

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