Type of Presentation

Individual paper/presentation (20 minute presentation)

Target Audience

Higher Education

Location

Room 111

Abstract

This year long collaboration between the Honors College and the Library began with an instruction session for Honors College teaching assistants. Our collaboration focused primarily on the student’s first class on research methods. In their Honors 110: Research Methods class, students are introduced to research practices, including the development of research topics, the analysis of sources, and the organization of evidence. As our collaboration increased we developed new strategies for meeting the information needs of the students and their teachers. We were able to work with teachers and students both in person and online. We are building an online presence through BlackBoard and meeting regularly with individual class sections. This project has revealed both positive and negative facets of collaboration. We were fortunate to work with an enthusiastic college administrator. In addition, we were able to work across library departments to include librarians from reference and educational services. However, the high turnover of teaching assistants has presented unique problems. Learning from this collaboration, we hope to evaluate our progress and make adjustments as needed. Ultimately, we hope to apply the lessons learned from this collaboration to other areas of the curriculum.

Presentation Description

Collaboration between the Honors College and Mason Libraries has grown exponentially this past year, and librarians are now embedded in the research methods class. We developed strategies for meeting the information needs of students and faculty both in person and online. Learning from this collaboration, we hope to evaluate our progress and make adjustments as needed. We also hope to apply the lessons learned from this collaboration to other areas of the curriculum.

Keywords

Honors college, Embedded librarians, Collaboration in education, Information literacy, Academic libraries, Interdisciplinary approach in education, Libraries and colleges, Reference services (Libraries)

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

Share

COinS
 
Oct 2nd, 12:00 PM Oct 2nd, 12:30 PM

Embedded Librarians: Building Relationships with the Honors College

Room 111

This year long collaboration between the Honors College and the Library began with an instruction session for Honors College teaching assistants. Our collaboration focused primarily on the student’s first class on research methods. In their Honors 110: Research Methods class, students are introduced to research practices, including the development of research topics, the analysis of sources, and the organization of evidence. As our collaboration increased we developed new strategies for meeting the information needs of the students and their teachers. We were able to work with teachers and students both in person and online. We are building an online presence through BlackBoard and meeting regularly with individual class sections. This project has revealed both positive and negative facets of collaboration. We were fortunate to work with an enthusiastic college administrator. In addition, we were able to work across library departments to include librarians from reference and educational services. However, the high turnover of teaching assistants has presented unique problems. Learning from this collaboration, we hope to evaluate our progress and make adjustments as needed. Ultimately, we hope to apply the lessons learned from this collaboration to other areas of the curriculum.