Understanding more about how students search and conduct research brings value to all involved in the research ecosystem – those working in the library, college and university instructors and faculty, and vendors like ProQuest. Two new opportunities for you to understand more about students and their search behaviors, as well as how librarians could take steps to improve the research experience, were made available in September.
Journal of Library Administration article: “How Students Research - Implications for the Library and Faculty”
In this article, authors Michelle D’Couto (Lead Product Manager, ProQuest) and Serena H. Rosenhan, Ph.D. (Director, User Experience Design, ProQuest) highlight qualitative findings about search behaviors and research habits of students interviewed at six college and university campuses in the US. They delve into the experiences outside of the academic setting and how these influences impact the research experience within the academic setting. This article highlights research barriers and pain points and offers recommendations for librarians and faculty to improve the likelihood of successful outcomes.
You can access the paper here through Taylor and Francis. (DOI: 10.1080/01930826.2015.1076312)
To read this article, you will need access to the Journal of Library Administration through a library.
ACRL/Choice Webinar: “Insights on the Modern Library”
In this webinar, conducted on September 22, 2015, attendees learned about findings from the co-authored research paper “How Students Research - Implications for the Library and Faculty” and get real-world examples of how librarians are responding to challenges in a changing research environment. Michelle D’Couto (Lead Product Manager, ProQuest) opened the session by sharing her insights on how the online generation is using the library, gathered from contextual interviews of students and faculty. Following Michelle, Kathryn Silberger (Marist College) and James Hammonds (Head of Library Technologies, Ball State University) discussed how their libraries have responded to the online generation through a more engagement-centric model using new technologies.
You can view the September 22, 2015 webinar recording here.
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